Monday Reading

Giants

Schwartz NYP: Joe Judge can’t fix Giants alone
https://nypost.com/2020/09/14/nfl-week-1-giants-turnaround-will-take-more-than-joe-judge/

Serby NYP: The most important thing to remember in Joe Judge’s debut
https://nypost.com/2020/09/14/the-most-important-thing-to-remember-in-joe-judges-giants-debut/

Schwartz NYP: Andrew Thomas is one of many Giants rookies set to debut
https://nypost.com/2020/09/14/giants-andrew-thomas-darnay-holmes-set-for-debut-vs-steelers/

Schwartz NYP: Giants vs. Steelers: Preview, predictions, what to watch for
https://nypost.com/2020/09/14/giants-vs-steelers-preview-predictions-what-to-watch-for/amp/

Leonard NYDN: Clean game from Daniel Jones facing vicious Steelers pass rush is Giants' only upset hope
https://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/giants/ny-week-1-steelers-preview-turnovers-20200914-hwo4xnxqhnbjxfjmjwh635pime-story.html

Leonard NYDN: 3 keys for Giants against Steelers on Monday Night Football
https://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/giants/ny-3-keys-steelers-mnf-20200914-lbz3quqsjzbmljyspwtr3ij4bi-story.html

Stapleton The Record: Together Blue: NY Giants reinvigorate their business on, off field with unifying makeover
https://www.northjersey.com/story/sports/nfl/giants/2020/09/14/ny-giants-together-blue-unifying-franchise-makeover-campaign/3467045001/

Art Stapleton The Record: Reason I give Giants a chance to keep things competitive tonight: as much as the offensive line may struggle some against the pass rush of the Steelers, there's a chance this group is going to be good from the start on the ground.
If Saquon can handle burden early, game changer.

If this game is played straight-up on what we know on paper and what we think we know from last year, the Steelers should win and by at least a touchdown.

But as much as assumptions are being made on how Giants will be, opposite assumptions are being made about Steelers.

Giglio NJ.com: Worried or excited? 6 reasons why Giants will be better than last year | Big leap for Daniel Jones
https://www.nj.com/giants/2020/09/worried-or-excited-6-reasons-why-giants-will-be-better-than-last-year-big-leap-for-daniel-jones.html?

Rosenblatt NJ.com: Giants will upset Steelers if these 7 players perform better than expected on Monday night
https://www.nj.com/giants/2020/09/the-giants-will-upset-steelers-if-these-7-players-in-particular-play-better-than-expected-on-monday-night.html

Coach

Emerson The Athletic Atlanta: ‘Cheap Labor Union’: Joe Judge and college football’s version of ‘The Process’

“There’s a picture floating around that some may still have on their phones, others may have framed. They gathered together, little-known and low-paid staffers, on the Superdome field before Alabama won the 2011 BCS national championship. Joe Judge is in the picture. So is Billy Napier, Glenn Schumann and others who in the years since have risen the coaching ranks in college and the NFL. Any time one of them does well, they’ll send around a text with a three-letter acronym: CLU.

Cheap Labor Union.

“The people you go through the toughest times with are going to be the ones you have the tightest relationships with,” Judge said. “We all went through late nights, and stressful games, that you come out on the other end and you really appreciate all the people that you worked with.”

There were more highly paid members on that staff, too. Kirby Smart remembers eating lunch and dinner every day with Jeremy Pruitt, Mario Cristobal...

https://theathletic.com/2054775/2020/09/13/football-coaching-joe-judge-nick-saban-kirby-smart-relationship-lessons-learned/

Dan Duggan The Athletic NY: I think Judge has a ton of qualities to be a good head coach. And if he was in college (as was the plan before the Giants' offer), I have no doubt he'd be successful. Difference in the NFL is personnel is more out of the coach's hands. Patience will be key as roster gets built

Lombardo NJ.com: Joe Judge must teach Giants how to be winners: Here’s how he can do that
https://www.nj.com/giants/2020/09/most-important-item-on-joe-judges-docket-teach-giants-how-to-be-winners-heres-what-experts-think-needs-to-happen.html

QB

Duggan The Athletic: The Athletic Q& A: Daniel Jones on a new coaching staff, life after Eli and more
https://theathletic.com/2062782/2020/09/14/the-athletic-qa-daniel-jones-on-a-new-coaching-staff-life-after-eli-and-more/?

OLB

Traina SI.com: Oshane Ximines Eyes Big Jump in Year 2
https://www.si.com/.amp-nygiants/nfl/giants/news/oshane-ximines-eyes-big-jump-in-year-2

ILB

Schwartz NYP: Devante Downs is shocking answer to Giants’ linebacker need
https://nypost.com/2020/09/13/devante-downs-is-shocking-answer-to-giants-linebacker-need/

DB

Thompson SI.com: Giants Coaching Spotlight: Defensive Backs Coach Jerome Henderson
https://www.si.com/.amp-nygiants/nfl/giants/big-blue-plus/giants-coaching-spotlight-defensive-backs-coach-jerome-henderson

NFL

King FMIA: The Good, The Bad and The Trubisky In Weird, Wonderful Week 1

Monday Night Picks

“Pittsburgh 30, New York Giants 16. The last time Ben Roethlisberger was healthy, in 2018, he led the NFL in passing yards and had the deadly duo of Antonio Brown and JuJu Smith-Schuster to torment defenses. Now it’s Smith-Schuster with Diontae Johnson, an impressive rookie last year, and tight-end-sized rookie wideout Chase Claypool, who had a great training camp. With a healthy Roethlisberger, the Steelers should contend for the playoffs, and this is a good time to get the Giants. Joe Judge seems to be making progress in Jersey, but it’s hard to see bright spots when the left tackle opted out, the best young corner got fired over an armed-robbery charge, and the defense doesn’t seem markedly better than the 30th-best scoring defense from a year ago.”

https://profootballtalk.nbcsports.com/2020/09/14/nfl-week-1-fmia-peter-king/

Breer MMQB: MMQB: Dwayne Haskins Is Responding to Ron Rivera's Challenge
For a franchise dealing with numerous scandals and controversies, and a coach battling through cancer treatments, a second-year passer is stepping up as a leader. Plus, confident words from the loaded Saints, Gardner Minshew doesn't look like he's tanking, an excerpt from 'Elway' and much more.
https://www.si.com/nfl/2020/09/14/mmqb-week-1-dwayne-haskins-ron-rivera-cam-jordan-daily-cover

Orr SI.com: NFL Week 1: Stuff We're Already Wrong About in 2020
https://www.si.com/nfl/2020/09/14/nfl-week-1-what-we-got-wrong-jacksonville-jaguars

Farrar Touchdownwire USA Today: Week 1 Way-Too-Early Power Rankings: Chiefs still rule the roost
https://touchdownwire.usatoday.com/lists/power-rankings-patrick-mahomes-joe-burrow/

ARIZONA
McManaman AZ Republic: QB Kyler Murray takes charge as Cardinals beat 49ers
https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/nfl/cardinals/2020/09/13/murrays-career-game-leads-cardinals-past-49-ers/5789373002/

Fitzgerald AZ Republic: Cardinals defense, Simmons struggle at start, but seal win over 49ers
https://www.azcentral.com/story/sports/nfl/cardinals/2020/09/13/cardinals-defense-simmons-struggle-start-but-seals-win-over-49-ers/5787860002/

ATLANTA
McClure ESPN Atlanta: Falcons' fourth-down follies too much to overcome in loss to Seahawks
https://www.espn.com/blog/atlanta-falcons/post/_/id/35551/falcons-fourth-down-follies-too-much-to-overcome-in-loss-to-seahawks?

Bradley AJC: Another year, another Falcons’ opening flop
https://www.ajc.com/sports/mark-bradley-blog/another-year-yields-another-falcons-opening-flop/UMXDCOI7IRAC5HDNQXVJJF2DLI/?

BALTIMORE
Shaffer Baltimore Sun: In Ravens’ strange and successful season opener, there’s one 'phenomenal’ constant: Lamar Jackson
https://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/bs-sp-ravens-browns-lamar-jackson-20200914-q3shlnotrjddrbuummj4usb2kq-story.html

Preston Baltimore Sun: Mike Preston’s report card: Position-by-position grades for Ravens’ 38-6 win over Browns
https://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/analysis/preston/report-card/bs-sp-ravens-report-card-grades-preston-20200913-qsux3wpdnja2bbujv3vomc5bie-story.html

Walker Baltimore Sun: Five Things We Learned from the Ravens’ 38-6 win over the Cleveland Browns
https://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/ravens/bs-sp-ravens-five-things-browns-20200914-mmld4nymlfhxxguip3ayfhsb44-story.html

Preston Baltimore Sun: With a standout rookie class, the Ravens might be even better this season
https://www.baltimoresun.com/sports/analysis/preston/bs-sp-ravens-rookies-browns-preston-20200913-cf4n6ekqtbdkbdx2fpxqfcyjrm-story.html

Hensley ESPN Baltimore: Ravens' Lamar Jackson resumes MVP form in season opener
https://www.espn.com/blog/baltimore-ravens/post/_/id/53048/ravens-lamar-jackson-resumes-mvp-form-in-season-opener?

BUFFALO
Maiorana Rochester Democrat: Allen throws for 312 yards as Bills roll past the hapless Jets 27-17 in season opener
https://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/sports/football/nfl/bills/2020/09/13/josh-allen-leads-buffalo-bills-27-17-victory-over-new-york-jets/3471460001/

Wolf Buffalo News: Lorenzo Alexander 'willing to listen' if Bills call after linebacker injuries
https://buffalonews.com/sports/bills/column-lorenzo-alexander-willing-to-listen-if-bills-call-after-linebacker-injuries/article_dfcd0bb8-f61f-11ea-a3ad-8b9921bbb1cf.amp.html

CAROLINA
Newton ESPN Charlotte: Teddy Bridgewater, Panthers can't overcome young defense, Raiders
https://www.espn.com/blog/carolina-panthers/post/_/id/34009/teddy-bridgewater-panthers-cant-overcome-young-defense-raiders?

Reed AP: Panthers’ Rhule left pondering curious 4th-down play call
https://apnews.com/2af9c6a86b90e2aa9b63a23e24baff2e?

CHICAGO
Kane Chicago Tribune: Bears stun the Lions 27-23 with 3 Mitch Trubisky touchdown passes in the 4th quarter
https://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/bears/ct-cb-chicago-bears-detroit-lions-20200913-46prqobwnngbrnolwih642k5j4-story.html

Brad Biggs Chicago Tribune: Bears open as a 5.5 point favorite over Giants for next Sunday’s game at Soldier Field

CINCINNATI
Baby ESPN Cincinnati: Joe Burrow gives himself a 'D' in debut as Cincinnati Bengals' comeback falls short
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/29882023/joe-burrow-gives-d-rookie-debut-bengals-comeback-falls-short?

CLEVELAND
Labbe Cleveland Plain Dealer: Browns opener was ugly, but not hopeless
https://www.cleveland.com/browns/2020/09/browns-opener-was-ugly-but-not-hopeless.html

Labbe Cleveland Plain Dealer: The fateful series of events that turned Sunday’s Browns-Ravens game into a rout
https://www.cleveland.com/browns/2020/09/the-fateful-series-of-events-that-turned-sundays-browns-ravens-game-into-a-rout.html

Cabot Cleveland Plain Dealer: Kevin Stefanski at the Ravens in his head coaching debut in this COVID-marred season was a no-win situation
https://www.cleveland.com/browns/2020/09/kevin-stefanski-at-the-ravens-in-his-head-coaching-debut-in-this-covid-marred-season-was-a-no-win-situation.html

Lesmerises Cleveland Plain Dealer: When is Odell Beckham actually going to help the Cleveland Browns win?
https://www.cleveland.com/browns/2020/09/when-is-odell-beckham-actually-going-to-help-the-cleveland-browns-win.html

Cabot Cleveland Plain Dealer: X-rays on Jedrick Wills Jr.s’ leg came back negative and it could be a bruise, source says; he’ll likely have an MRI Monday just to be safe
https://www.cleveland.com/browns/2020/09/x-rays-on-jedrick-wills-jrs-leg-came-back-negative-and-it-could-be-a-bruise-source-says-hell-likely-have-an-mri-monday-just-to-be-safe.html

DALLAS
Epstein USA Today: Cowboys stumble in Mike McCarthy's debut, fall to Rams in SoFi Stadium opener
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/cowboys/2020/09/13/dallas-cowboys-los-angeles-rams-score/5789828002/

Moore Dallas Morning News: An unorthodox decision and a controversial pass interference call were the focus of Mike McCarthy’s Cowboys debut
https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/cowboys/2020/09/13/for-mike-mccarthy-an-unorthodox-call-that-backfired-was-the-focus-of-his-cowboys-debut/

Ed Werder ESPN: Mike McCarthy is 56 years old and coached 13 years in Green Bay. But he’s become a believer in analytics and conceded after game that the analytics indicate you go for it on 4-and-3 in that situation. Also said wanted to show trust in offense and make a momentum play.

NFL Research: Cowboys are now 1-7 in one-possession games since 2019
2nd-worst such record in the NFL in that span
Worst Record in One-Possession Games
Since 2019
Bengals 0-9
Cowboys 1-7
Panthers 2-7

Jacques Taylor Dallas Morning News: Grading the Cowboys: This Dallas team was built on offense, and the offense failed vs. Rams
https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/cowboys/2020/09/13/grading-the-cowboys-this-dallas-team-was-built-on-offense-and-the-offense-failed-vs-rams/?

Michael Gehlken Dallas Morning News: A broken collarbone generally requires surgery and a four-to-six week recovery timetable. The Cowboys have yet to provide specifics, but Leighton Vander Esch's injury is not believed to be season-ending.

After evaluation, Cowboys fear that TE Blake Jarwin has suffered a torn ACL, source said. An MRI to reveal injury's full nature but the team's belief is Jarwin has been lost for season. Injured right knee in second quarter.

DENVER
Newman Denver Post: Is Broncos’ offensive line built for success, this year and beyond? 2020 will be a big litmus test.
https://www.denverpost.com/2020/09/13/broncos-offensive-line-2020-litmus-test/amp/

O’Halloran Denver Post: An easy way to break four-year playoff drought? More takeaways.
https://www.denverpost.com/2020/09/13/broncos-journal-playoff-drought-takeaways/amp/

Klis 9News Denver: BRONCOS SPECIAL TEAMS COORDINATOR MCMAHON EXPLAINS WHY IT TAKES TIME TO BECOME NFL SPECIAL
https://www.9news.com/amp/article/sports/nfl/denver-broncos/mike-klis/broncos-special-teams-coordinator-mcmahon-explains-why-it-takes-time-to-become-nfl-special/73-3f472cc8-2a49-4f33-a989-567262b30da2

DETROIT
Windsor Detroit Free Press: Only thing normal about Detroit Lions' season opener: The gut punch at the end
https://amp.freep.com/amp/5785667002

Birkett Detroit Free Press: Detroit Lions' Adrian Peterson critical of his big day in 1st start at RB
https://amp.freep.com/amp/5789415002

Monarrez Detroit Free Press: Referee explains why he ejected Detroit Lions' Jamie Collins
https://www.freep.com/story/sports/nfl/lions/2020/09/13/detroit-lions-jamie-collins-headbutt-ejection/5788259002/

Meinke Michigan Live: Ouch: Lions lose 3 of their top cornerbacks to hamstring injuries heading into Packers week
https://www.mlive.com/lions/2020/09/ouch-lions-lose-3-of-their-top-cornerbacks-to-hamstring-injuries-heading-into-packers-week.html

GREEN BAY
Demovsky ESPN GB: Packers' Aaron Rodgers tosses four touchdowns in win vs. Vikings
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/29878878/packers-aaron-rodgers-tosses-four-touchdowns-win-vs-vikings?

Wood Mil JS: Davante Adams unaware of flirtation with Packers history during 14-catch outburst
https://www.packersnews.com/story/sports/nfl/packers/2020/09/13/green-bay-packers-davante-adams-unaware-flirtation-history/5784774002/

INDIANAPOLIS
Wells ESPN Indianapolis: Philip Rivers brings his turnover problems to Colts in Week 1 loss
https://www.espn.com/blog/indianapolis-colts/post/_/id/25725/philip-rivers-brings-his-turnover-problems-to-colts-in-week-1-loss?

Erickson Indianapolis Star: Insider: Colts can't ask Philip Rivers to win games on his own
https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/nfl/colts/2020/09/13/colts-vs-jags-colts-cant-ask-philip-rivers-win-games-his-own/5744314002/

Ayello Indianapolis Star: Can't stop Gardner Minshew and the Jaguars? What happened to the Colts defense?
https://www.indystar.com/story/sports/nfl/colts/2020/09/13/colts-vs-jags-cant-stop-gardner-minshew-what-happened-defense/5744350002/

JACKSONVILLE
DiRocco ESPN Jacksonville: Gardner Minshew and rookies come up big as Jaguars upset Colts
https://www.espn.com/blog/jacksonville-jaguars/post/_/id/28534/gardner-minshew-and-rookies-come-up-big-as-jaguars-upset-colts?

Smits Florida Times Union: Rookies Laviska Shenault, James Robinson make impressive debuts to spark Jaguars offense
https://amp.jacksonville.com/amp/5783711002

LOS ANGELES CHARGERS
Miller LA Times: Chargers rely on late-game ‘miracle’ to preserve win over Bengals
https://www.latimes.com/sports/chargers/story/2020-09-13/chargers-tyrod-taylor-defense-joe-burrow-win-bengals-nfl?

Miller LA Times: Tyrod Taylor sees ‘room to improve’ after offensive struggles vs. Bengals
https://www.latimes.com/sports/chargers/story/2020-09-13/chargers-tyrod-taylor-sees-room-to-improve-aoffensive-struggles-bengals

Gonzalez ESPN LA: Opportunistic defense leads Chargers to narrow win over Bengals
https://www.espn.com/blog/los-angeles-chargers/post/_/id/27614/opportunistic-defense-leads-chargers-to-narrow-victory?

LOS ANGELES RAMS
Thiry ESPN LA: Rams open SoFi Stadium in style, cap off big week with win over Cowboys
https://www.espn.com/blog/los-angeles-rams/post/_/id/41974/rams-open-up-sofi-stadium-in-style-cap-off-big-week-with-win-over-cowboys

Plaschke LA Times: Rams season opener at SoFi Stadium is spectacularly awkward with no fans
https://www.latimes.com/sports/rams/story/2020-09-13/rams-season-opener-spectacular-awkward-nfl-cowboys-season-coronavirus-fans

Klein LA Times: New players make big contributions in Rams’ season-opening win over Cowboys
https://www.latimes.com/sports/rams/story/2020-09-13/rams-defeat-cowboys-jared-goff-sofi-stadium-opening-nfl-season

Next Gen Stats: Aaron Donald generated 10 QB pressures on 35 pass rushes (28.6% pressure rate) in the #Rams win over the Cowboys. AaronDonald97 has led all IDL in pressure rate in each of the last 3 seasons:
2017: 14.6%
2018: 13.9%
2019: 13.5%
➤ Week 1 vs DAL: 28.6%

Next Gen Stats: Jalen Ramsey lined up against Amari Cooper & Michael Gallup equally, but played both WRs differently, pressing Gallup while playing off Cooper:
vs. Cooper
➤ 16 routes, 6 tgt, 6 rec, 43 yards (0% press)
vs. Gallup
➤ 16 routes, 2 tgt, 1 rec, 24 yards (63% press)

MIAMI
Wolfe ESPN Miami: Dolphins' lack of offensive firepower exposed in loss to Patriots
https://www.espn.com/blog/miami-dolphins/post/_/id/31351/dolphins-lack-of-offensive-firepower-exposed-in-loss-to-patriots?

Hyde Sun Sentinel: Hyde10: Ten thoughts on Dolphins getting outmuscled in 21-11 loss to Patriots
https://www.sun-sentinel.com/sports/dave-hyde/fl-sp-hyde10-dolphin-pats-thoughts-20200913-zpyjdigavfbbjpdrqd4b7tx6pe-story.html

Hightower AP: Same old issues on defense doom Dolphins against Patriots
https://apnews.com/6f6f41c3d9880cd8db2978dec5046da6?

MINNESOTA
Cronin ESPN Minn: Vikings' new-look defense fails its first test of 2020 season in loss to Packers
https://www.espn.com/blog/minnesota-vikings/post/_/id/30239/vikings-new-look-defense-fails-its-first-test-of-2020-season-in-loss-to-packers?

ChrisTomasson Twincities.com: The 522 total yards the Packers rolled up today were the second-most a Mike Zimmer Vikings team ever has allowed and was the third-most yards the Vikings have given up this century. They allowed 573 in 2011 against New Orleans and 556 against the Rams with Zimmer in 2018.

NEW ENGLAND
Reiss ESPN Boston: Cam Newton leads run-heavy New England Patriots to opening win
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/29878780/cam-newton-leads-run-heavy-new-england-patriots-opening-win?

McBride Boston Globe: Cam Newton made his own noise in a smashing debut for Patriots
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/09/13/sports/cam-newton-made-his-own-noise-smashing-debut-patriots/

Callahan Boston Herald: How Cam Newton unlocked a new offense for the Patriots
https://www.bostonherald.com/2020/09/13/how-cam-newton-unlocked-a-new-offense-for-the-patriots/

Volin Boston Globe: Patriots win, and Josh McDaniels hasn’t unleashed the full Cam Newton experience yet
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/09/13/sports/instant-analysis-josh-mcdaniels-keeps-it-simple-cam-newton-patriots-win-over-dolphins/

Curran NBC Sports Boston: Patriots' first post-Tom Brady W? It started with a D
https://www.nbcsports.com/boston/patriots/patriots-first-post-tom-brady-w-it-started-d

NEW ORLEANS
Just Nola.com: Defense shines, offensive play calling 'awful,' as Saints top Buccaneers in near-silent Superdome
https://www.nola.com/sports/saints/article_4efaf7c2-f5fb-11ea-8e88-3f52e28c5460.amp.html

Johnson Nola.com: Adam Trautman is the only Saints rookie to dress out for the season opener
https://www.nola.com/sports/saints/article_009a660a-f5fe-11ea-a57a-bb14aa1c5cc2.amp.html

Triplett ESPN NO: Saints lock up LB Demario Davis with 3-year extension, source says
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/29880875/saints-lock-lb-demario-davis-3-year-extension-source-says

NEW YORK JETS
Mehta NYDN: Jets look like bad old selves in sloppy loss to Bills
https://www.nydailynews.com/sports/football/jets/ny-week-1-loss-buffalo-bills-20200913-fcmspx24nfffdagzqvmp4l7nie-story.html

Cannizzaro NYP: Jets’ bad start sparks troubling penalty trend
https://nypost.com/2020/09/14/jets-bad-start-sparks-troubling-penalty-trend/

Costello NYP: Marcus Maye emerges as rare Jets positive in Week 1
https://nypost.com/2020/09/14/marcus-maye-emerges-as-rare-jets-positive-in-week-1/

PHILADELPHIA
Bowen Phil Inquirer: Eagles turn an easy win into a horrific 27-17 loss; Carson Wentz loses his way, offensive line disintegrates
https://www.inquirer.com/eagles/philadelphia-eagles-lose-washington-football-team-week-1-carson-wentz-20200913.html

Smith Phil Inquirer: Eagles’ injuries start piling up again in season-opening loss to Washington
https://www.inquirer.com/eagles/philadelphia-eagles-injuries-washington-football-team-nfl-week-1-20200913.html

McLane Phil Inquirer: The Eagles had better get their offensive line right, or it could sink the 2020 season
https://www.inquirer.com/eagles/philadelphia-eagles-vs-washington-jason-peters-lane-johnson-20200913.html

Dan Orlovsky: The Eagles gave up 8 sacks today
1-blown prot by RT
2-screen. On QB
3-LT got whooped
4-great play by DE on naked
5-on QB held it it
6-tailback browns prot
7-DL collapse pocket
8-DL collapses pocket

6 on OL
2 on QB

QB should be good enough to overcome & find a way

Jimmy Kempski Phillyvoice: One of the curious aspects of the Eagles' loss was the absence of getting Wentz on the move. He was a statue all day. Felt like a no-brainer to mix that in to help out a struggling OL. Wondering if Doug didn't do that b/c Wentz's groin injury during camp is still bothering him.

Smith Phil Inquirer: Eagles defense actually played pretty well, considering, but didn’t make big plays to turn the tide
https://www.inquirer.com/eagles/philadelphia-eagles-inactives-lane-johnson-washington-nfl-injuries-20200913.html

PITTSBURGH
Adamski Pittsburgh Tribune Review: After offseason of ‘twists and turns,’ Steelers focus on Giants, Monday Night opener
https://triblive.com/sports/after-offseason-of-twists-and-turns-steelers-focus-on-giants-monday-night-opener/

Rutter Pittsburgh Tribune Review: Veteran guard David DeCastro ruled out of Steelers’ opener against Giants
https://triblive.com/sports/veteran-guard-david-decastro-ruled-out-of-steelers-opener-against-giants/

Koehler Steelerswire USA Today: Steelers D is gonna eat Daniel Jones fumbles for dinner

“The Steelers 2019 defense was hungry for turnovers. The unit satisfied that hunger by devouring 38 combined interceptions and fumble recoveries, and its .203 turnover average was good for first in the league. Of those turnovers, 20 were interceptions (second in league), and 18 were fumble recoveries (first in league). Overall, Pittsburgh forced 22 fumbles, for an average of 1.4 per game.
 
Here’s the breakdown on recoveries:
* LB Devin Bush – 4 (one for a 20-yard TD)
* LB T.J. Watt – 4
* S Minkah Fitzpatrick – 2 (one for a 79-yard TD)
* LB Bud Dupree – 2
* DL Cam Heyward, CBs Joe Haden, Mike Hilton, Steven Nelson – 1

https://steelerswire.usatoday.com/2020/09/13/pittsburgh-steelers-defense-tj-watt-bud-dupree-devin-bush-new-york-giants-daniel-jones-nfl/amp/

Adamski Pittsburgh Tribune Review: Four Downs: Steelers proficient at forcing fumbles but can’t again depend on recovering them
https://triblive.com/sports/four-downs-steelers-proficient-at-forcing-fumbles-but-cant-again-depend-on-recovering-them/

SAN FRANCISCO
Branch SF Chronicle: 49ers’ surreal game has odd result: a 24-20 upset loss to the Cardinals
https://www.sfchronicle.com/49ers/article/Surreal-game-has-odd-result-49ers-upset-by-15564181.php

Bair NBC Bay Area: 49ers’ sky-high expectations shouldn’t change after Week 1 loss to Cardinals
https://www.nbcsports.com/bayarea/49ers/49ers-sky-high-expectations-shouldnt-change-after-week-1-loss-cardinals

Branch SF Chronicle: 49ers’ game review vs. Cardinals: Rough opener for offense and defense
https://www.sfchronicle.com/49ers/article/49ers-game-review-vs-Cardinals-Rough-opener-15564339.php

Branch SF Chronicle: 49ers miss their top wideouts in season-opening loss to Cardinals
https://www.sfchronicle.com/49ers/article/49ers-miss-their-top-wideouts-in-season-opening-15564498.php

Branch SF Chronicle: Report: 49ers will host Pro Bowl pass-rusher Ziggy Ansah again
https://www.sfchronicle.com/49ers/article/Report-49ers-will-host-Pro-Bowl-pass-rusher-15563445.php

SEATTLE
Jude Seattle Times: ‘Let Russ Cook’ on full display: Russell Wilson takes command as Seahawks roll past Atlanta
https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/seahawks/let-russ-cook-on-full-display-russell-wilson-takes-command-as-seahawks-roll-past-atlanta/

Condotta Seattle Times: The Seahawks’ first real game without fans was ‘different,’ but they had enough ‘juice’ to power through
https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/seahawks/the-seahawks-first-real-game-without-fans-was-different-but-they-had-enough-juice-to-power-through/

Stone Seattle Times: Jamal Adams brings the fun — and another superhero — to a hungry Seahawks defense
https://www.seattletimes.com/sports/seahawks/jamal-adams-brings-the-fun-and-another-superhero-to-a-hungry-seahawks-defense/

TAMPA BAY
Stroud TB Times: Tom Brady sums up his debut downfall: ‘Bad throws’
https://www.tampabay.com/sports/bucs/2020/09/13/tom-bradys-debut-is-a-dud-as-bucs-fall-to-saints/?

Volin Boston Globe: Same old problem for Tom Brady; he struggled to connect with new receivers
https://www.bostonglobe.com/2020/09/13/sports/first-game-buc-there-was-nothing-terrific-about-tom-brady/

O’Connor ESPN: Tom Brady's risky gamble laid bare in loss to Drew Brees, Saints
https://www.espn.com/nfl/story/_/id/29881405/tom-brady-risky-gamble-laid-bare-loss-drew-brees-saints?

WASHINGTON
Jhabalva Washington Post: Washington comes back from big deficit to defeat Eagles in Ron Rivera’s debut
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/washington-defeats-philadelphia-ron-rivera-debut/2020/09/13/61765272-f5d6-11ea-be57-d00bb9bc632d_story.html

Jones USA Today: Ron Rivera gives Washington Football Team the resiliency it needed for legitimacy
https://www.usatoday.com/story/sports/nfl/washington/2020/09/13/washington-football-team-ron-rivera-provides-much-needed-resiliency/5788800002/

Carpenter Washington Post: Dwyane Haskins could be the reliable leader Ron Rivera needs at quarterback
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/dwyane-haskins-could-be-the-reliable-leader-ron-rivera-needs-at-quarterback/2020/09/13/71cac98c-f5fe-11ea-be57-d00bb9bc632d_story.html

Fortier Washington Post: Chase Young made several big plays in his NFL debut. Here’s what his dad saw
https://www.washingtonpost.com/sports/2020/09/14/chase-young-nfl-debut-father/

John Keim Report: Washington comes back from 17 down to beat Philly win week one.. John has thoughts and is joined by Football Jones pod host and USA Today columnist Mike Jones from Fed Ex Field ( Audio)
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/john-keim-report/id1455645619?i=1000491151176

Colleges/Draft

WR
Rittenberg ESPN: Texas A& M leading receiver Jhamon Ausbon opts out of season to enter 2021 NFL draft
https://www.espn.com/college-football/story/_/id/29879715/texas-leading-receiver-jhamon-ausbon-opts-season-enter-2020-nfl-draft?

History

Giants on 9-14

9-14-1945 Cleveland Rams 38 Giants 23 (Cleveland) (Exhibition)

NYT: FOOTBALL GIANTS LOSE AT CLEVELAND; New Yorkers Beaten by Rams in Exhibition, 38 to 23 --Waterfield Excels

CLEVELAND, Sept. 14 (AP)-- “Cleveland's Rams outlasted the New York Giants to notch a 38-to23 triumph in a National Football League free-scoring non-championship game tonight before 13,656 at Cleveland Stadium.”

9-14-1948 Giants 17 Bears 7 (Exhibition)

Giants Conquer Chicago 17 to 7

NEW Sept. 14 “The New York Giants outplayed ie Chicago Bears for their irst exhibition football victory of he scoring a 17-7 victory before Polo Ground fans in the tenth annual New York Herald Tribune Fresh Air Fund built up a 17-0 lead before yielding a touchdown to clip the previously unbeaten Bears. A 45-yard pass from Charlie Conerly to Columbia’s Bill Swiacki and another 8 yarder to Joe Sulaltis set up the touchdown. Giants 'scored in the first quarter when Len Younce booted field goal from the 12 after an penetrated deep in Bears territory. A 59-yard pass play in which Paul Governali hit Swiacki the most important gain In the drive. Sid Luckman passing deep in his end zone had a toss interoepted by the Giants' alert George Cheverko who made a shoestring catch. He raced to the 20 and then lateralled to center John Cannady who went he rest of the way. Younce converted after both scores.

Johnny Lujack’s thlrd quarter got the Chicago Bears moving. The former Notre Dame Star strutted his stuff in the late minutes of the third quarter when Chicago rolled 80 yards to score mostly on Lujack's passing. He passed to George McAfee in the end from the 8 for the tally. Fred converted.”

9-14-1949 LA Rams 14 Giants 7 (Omaha) (Exhibition)

LA Rams Defeat New York 14-7 Omaha, Neb. — “The Los Angeles Rams spotted the New York Giants a touchdown in the second period last night and then came flying back on the passing of Bob Waterfield to win 14 to 7 In an Omaha exhibition game. Dick Hcerner scored the first touchdown for the Rams from the one-yard line after a 60-yard pass play from Waterfield to Tom Sears. The former Iowa fullback also plunged across for the second score. Waterfield’s passes put the Rams in scoring positions. Waterfield also kicked both extra points.”

9-14-1952 Bears 14 Giants 9 (Exhibition)

Bears Batter Giants, 17-7 (By United Press )

“The Chicago Bears picked up their third win in four games by a 17-7 score over the New York Giants. At Chicago, the Bears sewed up the game with two first-half touchdowns for a 14-0 lead. After a scorelesss first perlod, Whizzer White ran back a Giant punt 30 yards to the Giant's 35, then lateralled to Don Kind, who ran the rest of the way. A few minutes later, Bob Williams tossed a seven-yard pass to White, and ran 35 yards to score. George Blanda kicked his second conversion. The Giants got their only touchdown in the third period on a 59-yard march capped by Clyde Scott's one-yard plunge. Two 15-yard penalties aided the drive. However, the Bears got the final score of the game in the fourth period when White kicked a 22-yard field goal.”

9-14-1958 Colts 27 Giants 21 (Exhibition)

Bowl Hero Steals Show By TIM MORIARTY United Press International:

Ray Brown, the hero of the 1958 Sugar Bowl game, hasn't lost his flare for the dramatic since joining the pro football ranks. The rookie halfback from Mississippi intercepted a Charley Conerly pass in the fourth period and dashed 66 yards for a touchdown that earned the; Baltimore Colts a 27-21 victory over the New York Giants Sunday' in a nationally televised exhibition game. It Was the Colts' first victory In five National Football League tuneups and the Giants' fourth straight; setback after an opening triumph. Ray Brown Joined the Colts last month with excellent credentials, having figured in four touchdowns in quarterbacking Ole Miss to a 39-7 jvictory over Texas in the Sugar Bowl game last New Year's Day. Because of his speed, the Greenville, Miss., youth was transformed into a defensive halfback by Baltimore head coach Weeb Eubank. In Sunday’s contest, Conerly and Heinrich each tossed scoring passes for the Giants in the first half, but the Colts matched those scores on a 63-yard run by Lenny Moore and a two yard aerial from Unitas to end Ray Berry. The score was still tied, 14-14, in the fourth period when Baltimore struck for two touchdowns in less than two minutes. Halfback L.G. Dupre somersaulted from the four yard line and then Brown tallied the clincher at 2:27. The Giants added their final touchdown minutes later on a pass from Conerly to Ken MacAfee.”

9-14-1980 Redskins 23 Giants 21 (Regular Season)

Pass: Simms 29-12-174-2-3
Rush: Heater 15-57-0
Rec: Gray 7-63-0
Rec: Mullady 1-35-1
Rec: Garrett 1-32-1
Punt: Jennings 5-248-49.6

NYDN: Young Giants stumble in loss to Redskins

“THE VIRTUE of youth is zeal, then the curse is mistakes. New York's winningest NFL football team almost overcame its greenhorn credentials Sunday with a little luck and enthusiasm. But in the end, those sly old Washington Redskins reminded a young head coach and his youngsters of that well-worn football cliche: There really is no substitute for experience. Nobody had the corner market on errors for the Giants. Quarterback Phil Simms, playing the position that is always most visible, threw three interceptions and should have lost two more.

There were , mental lapses by the Giant defense, including a bizarre 37-yard touchdown scramble by Joe Theismann during which cornerback Terry Jackson stayed with Redskin receiver Ricky Thompson and failed to close in for the tackle. There was a dropped pass by tight end Gary Shirk that might have gone for a touchdown. And there were at least three other crucial mistakes that the Giants got away with, including a mixup on the correct down by Perkins, who calls all the plays. The Giant coach, thinking it was third down and less than a yard instead of fourth, sent in his three-tight end offense with directions to go for the bomb. Realizing his mistake, Perkins then sent in receiver Johnny Perkins with a running play, but it never got changed. Result: Simms threw a 32-yard touchdown pass to Alvin Garrett, who had run the wrong route. "IT WENT FOR for a TD, but it was a poor call," admitted Ray Perkins. Even with all this, plus a crucial fourth-down fumble by running back Eddie Hicks which was later negated when the Redskins fumbled, too, the Giants were never out of the game, which they eventually lost, 23-21. In the end, it came down to the toe of Mark Moseley vs. the arm of Simms in the decisive final minutes. For a quarterback who has yet to play 16 games in the NFL, Simms has done remarkably well. On Sunday, he forced the ball into crowded zones too often and searched frantically for Earnest Gray, whom he had found for four touchdowns a week ago against St Louis. But he stood boldly in the face of Washington's pass rush, took several fierce blows and threw for touchdown passes No. 6 and No. 7 to Garrett and tight end Tom Mullady. "Phil did force the ball a couple of times," said his coach, Perkins, "but he made some good big plays too." Moseley's day had not exactly been memorable until he kicked the gamer, a 43-yarder with 1:55 remaining to play. One of his most embarrassing moments came when the Giants Frank Marion blocked his first extra point attempt, which broke a streak of 69 straight conversions. It was only the third PAT kick Moseley has missed in five years. LATER, MOSELEY'S 43-YARD field goal attempt, which would have put the Redskins up by nine at the half, bounced off the left upright Considering that 62 of the time Moseley connects and that he was only one-f or-three the week before against Dallas, this had not been a good day at the office for the 32-year-old conventional, non-soccer-style kicker. Moseley's coach. Jack Pardee, had not lost faith, however. In effect, Pardee gave his kicker the football and said, "Here, it's your game to win or lose." There was a moment of deliberation by Pardee, because it was fourth down and inches at the Giant 29 and there might have been a temptation to go for the first A short gain there insured the Redskins of hanging onto the ball, taking precious moments away from Simms. Even then, it was an eminently second-guessable decision by Pardee. Joe Danello, the Giants' kicker who never got a chance to try a field goal all day, naturally sided with the decision to kick. "They've got a guy back there (Moseley) who's been doing it a lot of years and Mark's got a strong leg. It was not a long field goal, even for a conventional kicker, and he's been in that situation before." Experience proved to be a big dividend. For the 245th time of his 10-year-career, Moseley thumped the Wilson football bearing Pete Rozelle's signature toward the goal post, this time the west end zone, and watched the 154th field goal of his career sail home. Later, the Giants would have their desperation hopes dashed by Simms third interception of the day, but after Moseley's kick and with no time outs, it was virtually academic. Danello, who had been praying for equal time, would not get his chance this day to save it for the Giants. NATURALLY, MOSELEY THOUGHT it was the right choice to kick and not run. "It would have been a bad choice not to kick the field goal," Moseley said. "I was surprised we even hesitated." And so the young Giants were victimized by the law of averages. Mark Moseley would not miss again. "The percentages were pretty good he'd make it" said Perkins, "after he missed two against Dallas last week." And the percentages have a way of coming up right for a football team that knows how to scratch for its existence. The Giants have to scratch, too, but the Redskins have just been scratching for a little longer, that's all.”

9-14-1986 Giants 20 Chargers 7 (Regular Season)

Pass: Simms 37-18-300-1-1
Rush: Morris 30-83-1
Rec: Bavaro 5-89-0
Rec: Robinson 4-69-0
Rec: Manuel 3-71-1
Int: Hill 2-25-0; Kinard 2-17-0; Collins 1-0-0

NYT: GIANTS' DEFENSE STIFLES CHARGERS

“Six nights ago, in the Giants' opening game of the season, their heralded defense played lethargically. Today, against the most potent offense in the National Football League, that defense played with an intensity that frightened onlookers and seemed to frighten the San Diego Chargers.
One result was a 20-7 victory for the Giants. Another result was defensive pride restored by seven turnovers, including five second-half interceptions of Dan Fouts, the Chargers' celebrated 35-year-old quarterback.
As Don Coryell, the Chargers' coach, put it, the coverage by the Giants' secondary was ''wonderful.'' Terry Kinard intercepted two passes and lost a third interception when Gary Reasons was called for roughing Fouts. Kinard also recovered a fumble and knocked down three passes. He achieved all that with a shoulder so bruised that he had trouble lifting his arm.
Kenny Hill made two interceptions, but was beaten on the Chargers' only touchdown, a 29-yard pass from Fouts to Gary Anderson. Mark Collins had an interception and Leonard Marshall recovered a Charger fumble. George Martin forced two fumbles and contributed a sack. '

‘Giants Were Mad'

''The Giants were mad,'' said Jeff Dale, the Chargers' strong safety. ''You could tell that.'' In the Giants' opener, a 31-28 loss to the Dallas Cowboys, the offense put points on the board and the defense gave them away. Meanwhile, the Chargers routed the Miami Dolphins, 50-28, gaining 500 yards.
''We did a lot of soul-searching all week,'' said Jim Burt, the Giants' nose tackle. ''It was the toughest week of my life. We got knocked to our knees emotionally last week. The defense was supposed to be the backbone of this team and we were the weak link.''
Not this time. The crowd of 74,921 at Giants Stadium watched the Giants shut off the Chargers' deception game. San Diego likes to move players around at the line of scrimmage, hoping to create confusion and leave a man uncovered. The Giants were not fooled. One reason, said Coach Bill Parcells, was that the Giants talked to American Conference coaches in the offseason to learn more about the Chargers' offense.
''We took away their outside running game and their short passes,'' said Bill Belichick, the Giants' defensive coordinator. ''When Fouts tried to go deep, that's when we got interceptions.''

Burt said the Giants' defensive linemen played an extra role in shutting off the Chargers' short passing game.
''When they got short passes across the middle,'' said Burt, ''we were going back from the line and laying helmets on them. I think they heard some footsteps. At the start, they had no fear. Later, they were tentative.'' Fouts's Mother Was Right
''There was no comparing the Giants' defense with the Dolphins' defense,'' said Fouts. ''We never got anything established against the Giants. Momma said there would be days like this, and she was right.''
Early in the game, it seemed it might be a disastrous day for the Giants. They have four wide receivers, and one of them, Bobby Johnson, was limited by a sprained left ankle.

In the first quarter, Lionel Manuel suffered a sprained neck. In the second quarter, Stacy Robinson injured his lower back and was removed from the field on a gurney. That left Solomon Miller, a rookie, as the only healthy receiver, and Jeff Hostetler, the third-string quarterback, played there for a while.
Fortunately for the Giants, Manuel missed only three plays and in the fourth quarter caught a 12-yard touchdown pass from Phil Simms. Robinson returned in the third quarter and made three receptions in the second half. Keeping the Football
With the defense coming up with the ball so often, the Giants had possession almost two-thirds of the time: 39 minutes 44 seconds to the Chargers' 20 minutes 16 seconds. The Giants' first touchdown followed Kinard's fumble recovery. Their other touchdown followed an interception by Hill.
The Giants' running game was hardly awesome. Joe Morris carried 30 times for 83 yards, including gains of 20, 17, 10, 9 and 8 yards. He was hit on the head on that 17-yard gain, left the game and sat out the last 10 minutes.

Despite those good gains, Morris was stopped more often than not. He carried eight times for losses, six times for no gain and five times for 1-yard gains.
In the first quarter, the Giants drove to a first down on the Chargers' 2-yard line. Morris carried three times for a net loss of 2 yards, and Cooper kicked a 21-yard field goal.
In the second quarter, Morris scored on first down from the 1. In the third quarter, when the Giants had another first down on the 2, Morris carried four times. The Chargers stopped him on fourth down, 3 inches short of the goal line.
Still, it was a highly successful day for the Giants.
''It was a game in which a lot of people matured,'' said Harry Carson, the inside linebacker and defensive captain.”

9-14-1987 Bears 34 Giants 19 (Regular Season)

Pass: Simms 28-15-181-1-0
Rush: Morris 14-54-0
Rec: Bavaro 5-86-0
Int: Kinard 1-70-1; Welch 1-7-0
Blocked Punt: Flynn recovery for TD

Zimmerman SI.com: GRIN AND BEAR IT, GIANTS
CHICAGO'S BLITZERS SACKED PHIL SIMMS SEVEN TIMES WHILE ROUTING NEW YORK 34-19

“Maybe next time it will be different. Maybe next time the New York Giants will have figured out the Chicago Bears' wildly effective blitzing scheme, which knocked the Giants' quarterback, Phil Simms, into dreamland, destroyed their passing game and eliminated the running attack from their game plan. The final score in what was billed as Super Bowl XXI½, the September Classic or, simply, the greatest Monday night matchup in history, was 34-19, but it was misleading. The Giants' defense scored one touchdown, and their special teams got another off a blocked punt. Their offense finally got on the board in the fourth quarter, when the game was all but lost.

So maybe the Bears and Giants will meet again, but when? And what can we expect: more of the same or a New York game plan that will get everyone blocked? In the teams' last two meetings—Chicago's 21-0 victory in the playoffs two seasons ago and Monday night's game—the Bears held the Giants' offense scoreless for seven quarters. They have punished New York physically and put a key man out of action on each occasion. Giants running back Joe Morris went down in the playoff game. On Monday in Chicago, Simms was knocked groggy by defensive end Richard Dent's blind-side hit in the second quarter, but he returned, after getting himself together during halftime. To Dent, the Bears' latest accomplishments on D should have been expected simply because "we did it to the same people last time, so why wouldn't we think we could do it again?"

Certainly a lot of people were interested in seeing who could do what to whom in this game. The Bears' p.r. department issued 750 press credentials and turned down 350 requests. Three London papers covered the proceedings. The Chicago Sun-Times Sunday supplement ran 76 pages on the Bears, most of them devoted to this game, and that was in addition to the paper's regular sports section. "It's going to be a game that you'll say when you're 50 or 60 years old, 'Hey, I played in one of the biggest games in NFL history,' " said Chicago quarterback Mike Tomczak.
"Look," said Giants linebacker Harry Carson, "the league knew what it was doing when it put the game on this week. It could've been scheduled for November 2 or any other Monday night of the season, but the NFL wanted a media event, and that's what it got. The last two Super Bowl champs, two teams coming off 14-2 records, the two dominating defenses of the '80s. People are going to expect hellified things."
Five hours after New York checked into its hotel on Sunday afternoon, the phones were turned off to incoming calls. "When we played them two years ago, I had a bad case of the flu the night before the game," said Simms. "I was drinking quarts of orange juice. I'd just fallen into a deep sleep, around 3 a.m., when the phone rang. 'I've got some bad news for you,' this guy said. 'Your father just passed away.' By the time I and found out it was a crank call, the night was almost gone."
Before Monday's game an old New Jersey friend talked to Giants coach Bill Parcells about the blown chances in that Jan. 1986 playoff loss. The friend mentioned a whiffed punt and a fumble on the first series, and the drive at the end of the first half that should have yielded some points. Finally, Parcells cut him off. "We had no chance," he said. "They beat us up. You have no idea how hard they hit us."
It wasn't as bad this time. The Giants put together a serious opening drive, moving from their own 24 to the Bears' 10 in seven plays. Simms had time to deliver the ball, and Morris picked up good yardage on nifty cutback runs. It was easy. Were the Giants really that good? Could they come right back from their Super Bowl victory without missing a beat? Or, worse, if you happened to be one of the suddenly quiet Chicago fans, was there something dramatically wrong with the Bears' defense?
"We weren't tackling; we weren't wrapping Morris up," middle linebacker Mike Singletary said later. "We were on our heels. We were giving Simms time to do what he wanted. I don't know if we'd gotten caught up in the hype or what."
With New York facing second-and-ten on the Chicago four, the Bears' defensive coordinator, Vince Tobin, called his first all-out blitz. Todd Bell, the strong safety, was the first man through. Two linemen, Dan Hampton and Steve McMichael, followed. Simms was swarmed, and he fumbled. The Bears recovered, ran three plays, had a punt blocked for a TD, and the Giants were up 7-0. Justice was served, sort of. The pretty opening drive was not wasted, but Chicago had learned something: This was to be a night for the blitz—until it was picked up or burned, or something discouraging happened to it.
We're into a tricky subject here. Buddy Ryan, the Bears' defensive coordinator from 1978 through '85, and his 46 defenses lived by the blitz, but last year when Tobin took over he turned the throttle down; Chicago mixed things up, and its defense again led the league. See, you can get the job done without turning into a bunch of rampaging maniacs.
The laws of pressure, though, say that if the squeeze is working you keep squeezing, so here they came—up the middle, Singletary working in tandem with one of the outside backers, Otis Wilson or Wilber Marshall. Sometimes Bell would come, sometimes free safety Dave Duerson. "Simms is a great quarterback," said Hampton, "but put enough pressure on, and they all look like Art Schlichter."
Meanwhile, the Bears found a new offensive weapon, Neal Anderson, last year's No. 1 draft choice, the guy who put Walter Payton's bodyguard, Matt Suhey, on the bench. What Chicago lost in blocking it gained in flash. Trailing 7-0, the Bears drove 88 yards late in the first quarter for a field goal. Anderson, who turned a little dump-off pass into a 47-yard gain, accounted for 77 of them. The Giants had never faced him. They had no handle on his speed.
Early in the second quarter, Dent, working inside a wide, looping blitz by Marshall, hit Simms as he let go of a pass, and the lights went out. Jeff Rutledge came in for a play, Simms returned for a few more, and then he retired for the rest of the half. "I was knocked goofy," said Simms. "I tried to hand the ball off one time, and I didn't really know what I was doing. I couldn't remember anything. Things didn't start coming back to me until after halftime."
At the end of the second quarter, Chicago put together its first touchdown drive, a painstaking 80-yarder that consumed 15 plays. Directing a sustained march was the one thing no one thought Tomczak could do against the Giants' defense. But he had time to deliver his throws. They were easy ones, short stuff over the middle. Then in the third quarter he aired out the ball—42 yards for a score to rookie Ron Morris, a 56-yard TD pass to Willie Gault—and the rout was on. New York didn't help itself by picking up a total of one first down in three consecutive possessions. With the score 24-7, it was survival time for the Giants. Wilson taunted New York linemen. He also had words with Simms: "I told him, 'When we were at the Pro Bowl, your son took my kid's truck. You give it back.' "
In the locker room after the game, the Giants looked like a bunch of guys who weren't quite sure what had hit them and from what angle. "Was it the inside pressure; was that the problem?" said right guard Chris Godfrey. "We had seen the blitzes they used, we thought that we had them down, but in the heat of battle...."
"We did a poor pick-up job," said center Bart Oates. "They got us in one-on-one situations across the board by bringing so many people. All it takes is for one guy to mess up...."
The Giants' right tackle, William Roberts, had a tough time with Hampton. O.J. Anderson, who replaced Morris when New York's task became pure catch-up, couldn't handle Marshall on the outside blitzes. The entire blocking mesh broke down. There would be no catching up.
For the second time since the two teams moved into the league's elite, the Chicago defense proved that it could inflict more serious damage on the New York offense than the Giants' offense could inflict on the Bears' defense. The closest thing to a dominating force for the New York D was its rookie inside linebacker, Pepper Johnson. Not Lawrence Taylor, who made some big plays, but got blocked on many others.
On the other hand, Chicago was one big dominating force. Even Tomczak, who passed for 292 yards, was a dominator. He started the preseason as a long shot to make the Bears, won the recuperating Jim McMahon's starting job with a solid exhibition season, and on Monday night hung in, gaining confidence as the evening wore on. He wasn't unnerved by all the pregame hype or by the Giants formidable defense. McMahon he isn't, but Tomczak may be all the quarterback Chicago needs.”

https://vault.si.com/.amp/vault/1987/09/21/grin-and-bear-it-giants-chicagos-blitzers-sacked-phil-simms-seven-times-while-routing-new-york-34-19

9-14-1997 Ravens 24 Giants 23 (Regular Season)

Pass: Brown 46-28-269-1-0
Rush: Barber 14-64-1
Rec: Calloway 8-79-0
Int: Ellsworth 1-0-0

Wash Post: STOVER'S KICK SECURES 1ST ROAD WIN

“Two kicks, one of which went backward, helped lift the Baltimore Ravens to a 24-23 victory over the New York Giants today.
At the start of the game-winning drive, center Leo Goeas accidentally kicked a loose ball into quarterback Vinny Testaverde's hands and a fumble became an 11-yard gain. At the end, Matt Stover drilled a 37-yard field goal with 34 seconds left and the Ravens held on for the first road victory and first two-game winning streak in their history.
In addition to the unplanned Goeas-to-Testaverde maneuver, the Ravens were lucky that the Giants' Brad Daluiso was wide right on two 41-yard field goal attempts. But the Ravens (2-1) also made several flashy plays, among them a diving catch in the back of the end zone by wide receiver Michael Jackson and several completions by Testaverde after he suffered a bruised thumb on his passing hand early in the fourth quarter.

Equally significant was a blocked extra point attempt by defensive end Rob Burnett after the Giants' first touchdown, leaving the score 7-6. And a tackle by middle linebacker Ray Lewis -- his 21st of the game -- behind the line of scrimmage on third down forced the Giants to try the second field goal attempt that Daluiso missed.
Had Deluiso been successful, the Giants (1-2) would have taken a five-point lead with less than three minutes left and forced the Ravens to score a touchdown to win. Instead, Coach Ted Marchibroda had the luxury of putting the ball into position for Stover and then allowing lots of critical seconds to run off the clock.
Stover is the all-time NFL leader in field goal accuracy but missed twice in potential game-winning situations last season. He was 5 of 5 this season before today and correctly judged a tricky cross-wind on his game-winner. "I was lucky this was September and not December," he said, referring to the often nasty winter conditions at Giants Stadium.

The Giants had more passing and running yards than the Ravens. They held the ball almost 12 more minutes and forced the game's only turnover, an interception thrown by Testaverde. "We blew it," said Giants linebacker Corey Miller.
Indeed, Marchibroda admitted: "For 2 1/2 quarters, we didn't do anything."
He was referring to the Ravens gaining an eight-point lead, 14-6, early in the second quarter -- on a 22-yard pass from Testaverde to wide receiver Derrick Alexander and about a four-inch dive on fourth down by running back Jay Graham -- and then being dominated until the late going.
Running backs Tiki Barber (16 carries, 64 yards) and Tyrone Wheatley each scored on a one-yard run for the Giants and quarterback Dave Brown completed 28 of 46 passes for 269 yards. Brown's one-yard flip to fullback Charles Way and Deluiso's 27-yard field goal, after linebacker Ray Lewis knocked down a pass headed for an open receiver in the end zone, gave the Giants a 23-14 lead with 12 minutes 22 seconds left in the game.

Two minutes later, it was uncertain whether Testaverde would be able to play. He sat on the bench while backup Eric Zeier warmed up and put on his helmet. A Giants defender had been blocked into Testaverde and caused the thumb to go numb. But most of the feeling returned to the thumb -- and Testaverde returned to action.
"I was able to grip the football," he said. "It hurt. It also hurt to shake hands, but the pain was not overbearing. You grit your teeth and go with it."
Twice on third down during what would prove to be an 83-yard drive, Testaverde completed short-range passes for first downs. He also floated a pass over the middle to tight end Eric Green for 34 yards -- and soon benefited from Jackson's catch from the 11 for the touchdown that brought Baltimore to within 23-21.

On the play after Daluiso missed his second 41-yarder with 2:59 left, Giants fans were heartened by Testaverde backing away from center without the ball. But Goeas, retreating in his pass-protection stance, happened to kick it. Testaverde grabbed it and ran 11 yards for a first down.
A run by Earnest Byner and passes to Alexander and Green gave Stover his chance -- and he said: "I really laid into it."

9-14-2008 Giants 41 Rams 13

Pass: Manning 29-20-260-3-0
Rush: Jacobs 15-93-0
Rush: Ward 8-58-0
Rush: Bradshaw 5-52-1
Rec: Burress 5-81-1
Rec: Toomer 6-67-1
Rec: Bradshaw 1-18-1
Sacks: Tuck 2.0; Robbins 2.0
Int: Tuck 1-41-1

NYT: New York Giants roll over St. Louis Rams in 41-13 victory

“A 97-yard drive put the New York offense in gear. Another stifling effort from a big-play defense led by Justin Tuck made much of the scoring window dressing in the Giants' 12th straight away victory, including their Super Bowl victory last February.
Eli Manning threw three touchdown passes and the Giants sacked Marc Bulger five times while limiting the St. Louis Rams to a fluke touchdown in a 41-13 victory on Sunday. The Rams (0-2) came up with another dud in their home opener, which also served as a tribute to late owner Georgia Frontiere.
The Giants have not lost a road game since their opener last season.
Tuck's 41-yard interception return in the fourth quarter sealed the victory, and he added a pair of sacks. Fred Robbins also had two sacks for the Giants, who got to the quarterback only once in their opening 16-7 victory over the Redskins.
The Rams' 3-13 season in 2007 left fans bailing out; the last two home games, against the Packers and Steelers, had nearly as many visiting fans. The Rams briefly won back a restless fan base that had begun to boo when Torry Holt scored on a 45-yard pass while flat on his back on a ball twice deflected by safety Kenny Phillips.

The Giants (2-0) immediately answered with an 82-drive capped when Ahmad Bradshaw was untouched on a 16-yard swing pass that made it 27-13 with 7:18 to go. Tuck's return came after he deflected Bulger's pass, and Bradshaw added a 31-yard run to cap a 21-point fourth quarter.
Amani Toomer's 10-yard grab was a big play when the game was tight, capping the 97-yard march midway through the third quarter that put the Giants ahead 20-6. That score came one play after coach Tom Coughlin successfully challenged a fumble ruling after Plaxico Burriss' 16-yard catch.
Manning was 20-for-29 for 260 yards, also hitting Burriss on a 33-yard strike in the first quarter, Brandon Jacobs had 93 yards on 15 carries and 44-year-old kicker John Carney added field goals of 39 and 33 yards in the first half.
The Rams retooled their offense under new coordinator Al Saunders, but have only one touchdown in two games. Bulger was 20-for-32 for 177 yards with a touchdown and an interception, and Steven Jackson had 53 yards on 13 carries.

The bright spots were the St. Louis specialists. Josh Brown kicked a pair of 54-yard field goals, matching the longest by the franchise since 2001, and punter Donnie Jones averaged 57.6 yards on five efforts.
There were thousands of no-shows in an announced sellout crowd of 61,377, the crowd probably held down by a storm that was the remnants of Hurricane Ike, with torrential rain, winds spiking up to 60 miles per hour and interstate lane closures a few hours before game-time.
Carney, signed on cutdown day to fill in while Lawrence Tynes recovers from a knee injury, is 5-for-5 thus far.”

Kennedy BBI: Giants Clobber Rams 41-13
https://www.bigblueinteractive.com/2008/09/14/giants-clobber-rams-41-13/

9-14-2014 Cardinals 25 Giants 14

Pass: Manning 39-26-277-2-2
Rush: Jennings 18-64-0
Rec: Donnell 7-81-0
Rec: Cruz 5-60-0
Rec: Randle 4-39-1
Sacks: JPP 1.5

Desert Sun: Ted Ginn Jr. punt return leads Arizona Cardinals to road victory over New York Giants

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. – “If Cardinals coach Bruce Arians were to hand out authentic leather game balls to every player who deserved one after the Cardinals 25-14 victory over the Giants on Sunday, the replacement order would make cows nervous and the folks at Wilson busy.

There was quarterback Drew Stanton, who hadn't thrown a pass in the regular-season since 2010, replacing Carson Palmer, out with a nerve problem in his throwing shoulder. Stanton's statistics weren't great – 14 of 29 for 167 yards – but he was productive and didn't have a turnover.
There was Ted Ginn Jr., who returned a punt 71 yards for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
There was reserve linebacker Kenny Demens, who forced a fumble on the kickoff after that score. There was rookie kicker Chandler Catanzaro, who made all four field-goal attempts, and running back Andre Ellington, who rushed for 91 yards on 15 carries.

"To win on the road in the National Football league takes everybody," Arians said. "It wasn't pretty at all times but it was fun. Winning is always fun."

For the second consecutive week, the Cardinals (2-0) overcame a fourth-quarter deficit to win. Last Monday, they trailed the Chargers by 11 and won by one. At MetLife Stadium on Sunday, they were behind the Giants (0-2) by four.

"On the road, it is huge," linebacker Larry Foote said. "I told the boys, I don't care who we play, it could be the Bad News Bears. A win on the road is big time."
As the loser, the Giants had a different point view. To them, the game was more about their failures than the Cardinals successes.
"Dropped balls, punt returns, kickoff return fumble, fumbled the ball without anybody hitting us over on the 17-yard-line when we had a chance to score and go for two and tie the game," said coach Tom Coughlin. "We talked about winning the fourth quarter. We take the lead, 14-13, and from there it was a nightmare."

The Cardinals trailed, 14-13, when the Giants punted to Ginn with 10:28 left. Eighteen seconds later, the Cardinals led.

Ginn spun away from a defender just after he caught the ball, sprinted through the middle of the field, cut to the sideline and outran everyone.

In 2013, the Cardinals return teams were abysmal, which is one reason they signed Ginn in free agency.
"I was about to fire him on kickoff return," Arians said. "And I still might. But he gets to stay back there on punt returns. That was a big, big play."

Ginn thought that touchdown took something out of the Giants.
"You can tell that on their side of the ball, on the New York side, it kind of went down," he said. "Our special teams came out right after that and forced the fumble on the kick return."
Arians' decided to try a two-point conversion for the third time in two games. It failed for the third time in two games. Jonathan Dwyer was stuffed on a run and the Cardinals led by five points.
If Arians had kicked the extra point earlier, the Cardinals would have led by 9, meaning the Giants had to score twice to catch them. Arians, however, wasn't second-guessing himself.
"Could have been up by seven or 10," Arians said. "I really like that play (to Dwyer). I really didn't like the way we executed it."

The Giants continued to graciously give the game to Arizona. Demens forced a fumble on the next kickoff and the Cardinals recovered at the Giants 21. A Catanzaro field goal gave the Cardinals a 22-14 lead.
The Giants then drove 53 yards to the Cardinals 17-yard line where running back Rashad Jennings dropped the football after a short reception.
Cardinals safety Rashad Johnson recovered with 4:30 remaining. The Giants had one last chance but the Cardinals stopped them on fourth down.
It was an especially sweet victory for Arizona, because it was on the road, against an NFC opponent, and they were playing without their starting quarterback.

In the interview room afterward, Stanton waited patiently by the podium until he was informed that, yes, everyone was waiting for him.
"You get to a point in this league – and I haven't played since 2010, which everybody likes to document – you have to start betting on yourself," he said. "I'm not going to lie, I was anxious going up to the game."
On the flight to New Jersey, Arians gave Palmer and Stanton the script for the first 15 plays. The Cardinals weren't sure which quarterback would play, but the script would stay the same.
It meant a lot to Stanton that Arians and his staff did not alter the game plan because of Palmer's injury.

"This is my eighth season and you see guys going down all the time," Stanton said. "It's about guys stepping up and being prepared. I feel like this team has that mindset, that we can't be fazed by it."

Giants Birthdays 9-14

Kenderick Allen DT W-NO 2004 NYG 2004-2005 7-14-1978

Dennis Borcky NT UDFA-Memphis 1987 NYG 1987 7-14-1964