well, tonight's game seems to be lining up as a sharp vs. squares type of game. while not purely in that category, it looks like the majority of the 'sharp' players prefer the gmen. that is not a shock as the sharps love to check out the dogs for value.
what folks see here is just that, value. the defending nfc champs take a trip to denver w/their stellar D and competent O and are getting a td vs a team that has weapons on O but is lacking on D. how can't you love the giants?
well, i don't. maybe i am simply a square but here is how i see this one. the giants weren't that good last yr. everything simply fell right for them. they had a soft schedule in a soft division. they then got a perfect trip thru the playoffs. they got a bye followed by a match-up w/a team they own, the beagles. then a match-up w/a team they also match-up well with, the vikes. the vikes had no D, which the gmen exposed and they were limited on O w/a banged up rbt smith. the giants dbs, the weakness of the defense match up well w/minn. minn has big physical wrs and they basically only run 2 out there b/c that is all they need. the giants were able to single cover carter b/c carter's strength is route running and over-powering smaller dbs. his game is not based on speed. the giants corners have size and strength but not speed. they essentially play 4 safties. the gmen were then able to be physical on moss on the line while maintaining deep help.
smith being banged up and the giants talented front 7 did the rest.
while at 1st glance, the broncos might resemble the vikings on O, that perception is simply wrong. rod smith has size and speed and is a tremendous route runner. the same goes for mccaffrey who is often viewed as big and strong but slow(a perception due to race?) but don't be fooled, he has great speed. kennison will be on the field frequently and both tes can catch(unlike the minn te last yr, jordan who was not a threat).
while griese doesn't have the arm strength of culpepper, he is underrated in this category. where he is exceptional is his pin point accuracy and his ability to read defenses and take what is there. he shows maturity beyond his yrs.
but you knew that shanny runs the best O in football and has the most balanced attack out there. how many low round rbs can he turn into all-pros?
enough about O, let's talk about denver's shitty D. denver made the best off-season acquisition in football when they secured the services of ray rhodes. players simply love playing for him and his schemes on D are almost as good as shanny's on O.
i found denver at 10-1 to win the sb and thought it was a steal(7-1 to win the afc).
rhodes has the talent on D to work with here.
chester mcglockton will add some serious beef in the middle and former high draft choice al wilson is finally healthy and ready to emerge as a star at mlb after an injury plagued rookie yr.
pittman, washington and pryce round out a very talented front line. romanowski and mobley(also back healthy) are very good olbs
jenkins and brown are very good at the safteys but the cbs worry me a little. w/hilliard out. the giants have a fast but marginal route runner in dixon who doesn't want to catch the ball in traffic. they have the slow but solid jurvicous(sp?) and the underrated toomer. they have the inconsistent collins tossing to them. i see the broncs stepping it up here and holding the gmen to close to single digits.
i think the altitude and the juiced crowd breaking in the new stadium will make for a magical night for denver. however, i fear the mnf keep it close factor that we experienced last yr.
denver -6.5
denver -3.5(1st half)
and a no juice teaser of denver -.5/under 50.5 (i hate teasers and i know they are a bad bet but old habits die hard)
what folks see here is just that, value. the defending nfc champs take a trip to denver w/their stellar D and competent O and are getting a td vs a team that has weapons on O but is lacking on D. how can't you love the giants?
well, i don't. maybe i am simply a square but here is how i see this one. the giants weren't that good last yr. everything simply fell right for them. they had a soft schedule in a soft division. they then got a perfect trip thru the playoffs. they got a bye followed by a match-up w/a team they own, the beagles. then a match-up w/a team they also match-up well with, the vikes. the vikes had no D, which the gmen exposed and they were limited on O w/a banged up rbt smith. the giants dbs, the weakness of the defense match up well w/minn. minn has big physical wrs and they basically only run 2 out there b/c that is all they need. the giants were able to single cover carter b/c carter's strength is route running and over-powering smaller dbs. his game is not based on speed. the giants corners have size and strength but not speed. they essentially play 4 safties. the gmen were then able to be physical on moss on the line while maintaining deep help.
smith being banged up and the giants talented front 7 did the rest.
while at 1st glance, the broncos might resemble the vikings on O, that perception is simply wrong. rod smith has size and speed and is a tremendous route runner. the same goes for mccaffrey who is often viewed as big and strong but slow(a perception due to race?) but don't be fooled, he has great speed. kennison will be on the field frequently and both tes can catch(unlike the minn te last yr, jordan who was not a threat).
while griese doesn't have the arm strength of culpepper, he is underrated in this category. where he is exceptional is his pin point accuracy and his ability to read defenses and take what is there. he shows maturity beyond his yrs.
but you knew that shanny runs the best O in football and has the most balanced attack out there. how many low round rbs can he turn into all-pros?
enough about O, let's talk about denver's shitty D. denver made the best off-season acquisition in football when they secured the services of ray rhodes. players simply love playing for him and his schemes on D are almost as good as shanny's on O.
i found denver at 10-1 to win the sb and thought it was a steal(7-1 to win the afc).
rhodes has the talent on D to work with here.
chester mcglockton will add some serious beef in the middle and former high draft choice al wilson is finally healthy and ready to emerge as a star at mlb after an injury plagued rookie yr.
pittman, washington and pryce round out a very talented front line. romanowski and mobley(also back healthy) are very good olbs
jenkins and brown are very good at the safteys but the cbs worry me a little. w/hilliard out. the giants have a fast but marginal route runner in dixon who doesn't want to catch the ball in traffic. they have the slow but solid jurvicous(sp?) and the underrated toomer. they have the inconsistent collins tossing to them. i see the broncs stepping it up here and holding the gmen to close to single digits.
i think the altitude and the juiced crowd breaking in the new stadium will make for a magical night for denver. however, i fear the mnf keep it close factor that we experienced last yr.
denver -6.5
denver -3.5(1st half)
and a no juice teaser of denver -.5/under 50.5 (i hate teasers and i know they are a bad bet but old habits die hard)
