Look at the players that started against the cowpies on Thanksgiving last yr (a game we were leading until about halfway into the 3rd Q):
Richie James WR
Lawrence Cager TE
Tyre Phillips OT
Jack Anderson G
Nick Gates C (coming back from horrific injury)
Oshane Ximines OLB
Jihad Ward OLB
Jaylon Smith OLB
Nick McCloud CB
Darnay Holmes CB
Julian Love S
Cordale Flott DB
Those were our starters! Forget about depth. We had none. Many of the "depth" guys we had, were starting.
Compare that to the starters this Sunday (I left out players who played on Thanksgiving last yr):
Parris Campbell WR
Darren Waller TE (only 1 of the top 3 or so TEs in the league when healthy and as of now, he's healthy)
Ben Bredeson OG (was injured)
JMS C
Evan Neal OT (healthy and hopefully improved)
Okereke ILB (huge upgrade)
Azeez Ojulari OLB (was injured)
Adoree Jackson NCB (was injured, now huge upgrade to cover Lamb in slot)
Banks CB
Tre Hawkins CB
McKinney S (was injured)
Then look at our depth (players who didn't play on Thanksgiving):
Jalin Hyatt WR
Sterling Shepard WR
Wan’Dale Robinson WR (prolly questionable)
Daniel Bellinger TE
Simmons LB
A’Shawn Robinson DE
Nacho NT
Boogie Basham LB
Belton S
+ some of the guys who started last yr.
I think some people are not fully appreciating how much better our roster is right now. Dallas is going to find out. Did they upgrade their roster THIS much?
I think we are closer, but this should be a good game.
Offensively, we were counting on Golladay, Toney, a rookie Bellinger and David Sills.
Thank God we don’t have to watch a JV team anymore. Thankful for Schoen & crew.
Talent has never been the issue with the Cowboys -- if we win, it'll be because we're better coached and more disciplined than they are.
Let's see what our coaching staff can do with actual NFL caliber talent.
2 TE with Bellinger to help out Neal, Waller both split out and inline as a legit receiving threat. Last year if we used bellinger to help out the tackles there was no other threat at TE.
The past five seasons against Dallas have not been kind with just one single win out of ten (23 – 19 in Joe Judge’s first season as Head Coach.) The losing has to stop some time and the Giants have a real good chance to turn the table this Sunday night with so many arrows pointing in the right direction, starting with:
(1) Joe Schoen / Brian Daboll and their respective staffs;
(2) 2nd year for Daniel Jones in Daboll/Kafka offense;
(3) A significantly upgraded WR unit including TE Darren Waller;
(4) A deeper d-line (plus Bobby Okereke) to limit the run damage.
And the Giants will be that much closer to winning if:
(1) Evan Neal limits the carnage inflicted by Micah Parsons;
(2) Our rookie CBs avoid a rude awakening in their very first NFL game;
(3) We see the good Jamie Gillan, not the bad one.
We're better. Now go out there and kick the fucking snot out of that POS franchise. One time. Just do it.
Daniel Jones QB
Saquon Barkley RB
David Sills WR
Sterling Shepard WR
Richie James WR
Daniel Bellinger TE
Jon Feliciano OL
Mark Glowinski OL
Evan Neal T
Andrew Thomas T
Ben Bredeson G
Justin Ellis DL
Dexter Lawrence DL
Nick Williams DL
Azeez Ojulari OLB
Kayvon Thibodeaux OLB
Tae Crowder LB
Austin Calitro LB
Adoree' Jackson CB
Julian Love S
Xavier McKinney S
Cordale Flott DB
The big upgrades in my view are the corners and pass catchers.
I think Schoen did a great job of recognizing what century he's in.
Much better comparison, and OL is nearly the same except for a rookie C this year.
I guarantee one of Dallas's top 2nd half objectives was to gas the D. And they did.
The night and day depth difference on the DL is game changing in and of itself.
Daniel Jones QB
Saquon Barkley RB
David Sills WR
Sterling Shepard WR
Richie James WR
Daniel Bellinger TE
Jon Feliciano OL
Mark Glowinski OL
Evan Neal T
Andrew Thomas T
Ben Bredeson G
Justin Ellis DL
Dexter Lawrence DL
Nick Williams DL
Azeez Ojulari OLB
Kayvon Thibodeaux OLB
Tae Crowder LB
Austin Calitro LB
Adoree' Jackson CB
Julian Love S
Xavier McKinney S
Cordale Flott DB
The big upgrades in my view are the corners and pass catchers.
I think Schoen did a great job of recognizing what century he's in.
The Giants tied with the Redskins for fewest missed tackles in the league last year with 49. Tae Crowder had 5 alone in that first Dallas game. He played 6 snaps the second time we played Dallas. I'd add upgrade at MLB as well.
Using a fair coin, having seen 3 heads in a row, the odds of heads on the next throw is STILL 50 - 50.
There needs to be a lot of data points to assess whether the AVERAGE has or hasn't "regressed to the mean". This is a tool of after the fact analysis, not a tool for prediction.
The necessary condition to even evaluate the series is that nothing has changed. In fact if the average has shifted, that is an indicator that something HAS changed.
Sports writers using the concept of "regression" is silly.
Quote:
Don't forget there will be regression.
Using a fair coin, having seen 3 heads in a row, the odds of heads on the next throw is STILL 50 - 50.
There needs to be a lot of data points to assess whether the AVERAGE has or hasn't "regressed to the mean". This is a tool of after the fact analysis, not a tool for prediction.
The necessary condition to even evaluate the series is that nothing has changed. In fact if the average has shifted, that is an indicator that something HAS changed.
Sports writers using the concept of "regression" is silly.
Yup. Regression isn't an expected outcome without some underlying reason. I don't know what that would be.
On the flip side, pretty much every returning Giant has commented at some point on being more comfortable and therefore and playing faster in the second year in system.
I dispute calling Brandin Cooks a top player.
Having two impact players on the fronts is a good place to start. I am hoping for at least 5 impact players on the front 7 this season. OL still a very big question mark imv like it has been for a decade.
Rookie corners and skill players with a injury history is some concern but they appear to have more depth.
Nice effort Doc.
Quote:
but, did we close the talent gap or just reduce it?
I dispute calling Brandin Cooks a top player.
Cooks is one of the great mysteries in the NFL. Objectively good not great -- yet 3 first, a second, a third, a fourth, and two sixth round picks have been spent acquiring him in his career.
Gilmore was elite, but he's 33 and his best yr was 4 yrs ago. The cowpies are his 4th team since '20. That doesn't scream still elite, to me.
Cooks is 30 and his best yrs are probably behind him. At this stage of career, he might not be a big upgrade over the guy he's replacing, Noah Brown (who signed with Houston).
Not sure I would call either huge upgrades.
Thanks Chris! Yes it is damn exciting!
I believe Neal is going to be much better and it's not just because I'm generally an optimist.
Neal has everything going for him. Besides his athletic talent, which most high picks have, he has: great coaching, great attitude (coachable), work ethic and desire. Guys who bust usually lack one or more of those things.
He might not be all pro this year, but I think he's going to be a lot better than last yr. I think he'll be good enough early in the season and improve as the yr goes on (in time for the eagles).
He was a game destroyer last year.
Quote:
but, did we close the talent gap or just reduce it?
Gilmore was elite, but he's 33 and his best yr was 4 yrs ago. The cowpies are his 4th team since '20. That doesn't scream still elite, to me.
Cooks is 30 and his best yrs are probably behind him. At this stage of career, he might not be a big upgrade over the guy he's replacing, Noah Brown (who signed with Houston).
Not sure I would call either huge upgrades.
The trades for Gilmore and Cook were seen as the best moves of the off season by more than few pundits.
At the end of the year the addition of Gilmore and Cook will be seen as a major reason for Dallas's success this year.
Quote:
In comment 16193372 Ira said:
Quote:
but, did we close the talent gap or just reduce it?
Gilmore was elite, but he's 33 and his best yr was 4 yrs ago. The cowpies are his 4th team since '20. That doesn't scream still elite, to me.
Cooks is 30 and his best yrs are probably behind him. At this stage of career, he might not be a big upgrade over the guy he's replacing, Noah Brown (who signed with Houston).
Not sure I would call either huge upgrades.
The trades for Gilmore and Cook were seen as the best moves of the off season by more than few pundits.
At the end of the year the addition of Gilmore and Cook will be seen as a major reason for Dallas's success this year.
more than a few pundits always love the cowpies.
I guess we'll see in a few nights, huh?
Until then, this cowpie is for you, cowpie fanatic number II:
Hopefully we can stay relatively healthy this season
The Giants gave up an average of 5.2 yards per carry on the ground last year (tied with Lions for next to last). That's in large part b/c the ILBs were terrible and we had no depth at DT.
It really is hard to overstate how bad they were at ILB - they could not stop power/gap rushing concepts. Having Okereke is to me the most important addition to the defense.
If the Giants can stop the run I like their chances against Dak.
Quote:
In comment 16193372 Ira said:
Quote:
but, did we close the talent gap or just reduce it?
Gilmore was elite, but he's 33 and his best yr was 4 yrs ago. The cowpies are his 4th team since '20. That doesn't scream still elite, to me.
Cooks is 30 and his best yrs are probably behind him. At this stage of career, he might not be a big upgrade over the guy he's replacing, Noah Brown (who signed with Houston).
Not sure I would call either huge upgrades.
btw, cowpie fanatic number II, it's all in fun. I'm a lover, not a fighter. And I grew up on a dairy farm, so I'm very familiar with cow pies. They're how I learned about the indestructible nature of corn. Corn today, corn tomorrow.
Crowder and Jaylon Smith starting at ILB..
No Leonard Williams..
KT and Ojulari's first game of the season
No one will convince me Richie James was not valuable to LAST year's team, a player
Crowder and Jaylon Smith starting at ILB..
No Leonard Williams..
KT and Ojulari's first game of the season
Right and don’t forget Thibs and Ojulari missed most of camp.
This time last season and through the first month the giants had nothing at edge. It was only when Thibs started getting his sea legs that we had one live body at edge.
The giants are so much better than last season. At every unit, so much better and yes I’m including corner. We have the same corners as last season PLUS 2 rookies who had awesome camps yet the talkies insist that the corners are a problem.
No one will convince me Richie James was not valuable to LAST year's team, a player
Thanks ColHowPepper! No one has ever told me the point I made is robust! I like it!
I'm not saying it's going to be a cake walk, but I think we're going to win
The past five seasons against Dallas have not been kind with just one single win out of ten (23 – 19 in Joe Judge’s first season as Head Coach.) The losing has to stop some time and the Giants have a real good chance to turn the table this Sunday night with so many arrows pointing in the right direction, starting with:
(1) Joe Schoen / Brian Daboll and their respective staffs;
(2) 2nd year for Daniel Jones in Daboll/Kafka offense;
(3) A significantly upgraded WR unit including TE Darren Waller;
(4) A deeper d-line (plus Bobby Okereke) to limit the run damage.
And the Giants will be that much closer to winning if:
(1) Evan Neal limits the carnage inflicted by Micah Parsons;
(2) Our rookie CBs avoid a rude awakening in their very first NFL game;
(3) We see the good Jamie Gillan, not the bad one.
Welcome back, MS!
Hope you’re having a nice summer!
So much to be excited about this season. What a breath of fresh air Joe Schoen & Brian Daboll have been.
By all accounts he looks fully recovered.
He was totally rushed back last year.
By all accounts he looks fully recovered.
He was totally rushed back last year.
Dallas will be tough nut to crack. Not only do they have a fine passing game, they are just as adept running the ball. In two games against the Giants last season, Dallas averaged 173 yards rushing per game which allowed them to dominate the time of possession. I'm feeling pretty good about the Giants run defense between the tackles, but Ojulari and Thibodeaux need to hold the edge as well.
By all accounts he looks fully recovered.
He was totally rushed back last year.
Cowboys fans are sky high on their receivers right now..some even clamoring for Tolbert over Gallup(Tolbert had a great camp after a disappointing rookie year). Should be fun.
Quote:
Don't forget there will be regression.
Using a fair coin, having seen 3 heads in a row, the odds of heads on the next throw is STILL 50 - 50.
There needs to be a lot of data points to assess whether the AVERAGE has or hasn't "regressed to the mean". This is a tool of after the fact analysis, not a tool for prediction.
The necessary condition to even evaluate the series is that nothing has changed. In fact if the average has shifted, that is an indicator that something HAS changed.
Sports writers using the concept of "regression" is silly.
Fans referencing the term without even a basic understanding of what it means, as the post you replied to did, is even sillier.
Quote:
In comment 16193369 Reale01 said:
Quote:
Don't forget there will be regression.
Using a fair coin, having seen 3 heads in a row, the odds of heads on the next throw is STILL 50 - 50.
There needs to be a lot of data points to assess whether the AVERAGE has or hasn't "regressed to the mean". This is a tool of after the fact analysis, not a tool for prediction.
The necessary condition to even evaluate the series is that nothing has changed. In fact if the average has shifted, that is an indicator that something HAS changed.
Sports writers using the concept of "regression" is silly.
Fans referencing the term without even a basic understanding of what it means, as the post you replied to did, is even sillier.
I was kidding. People say the Giants won more than their share of close games last year and will not be able to sustain that - thus a worse record - fail to realize that it is not the same team and therefore saying they will regress is not relevant to this year. The eagles were 7-1 in close games last year - will they regress? Last year's teams may not win as many games vs this year's schedule. But this is not last year's team.