Giants football GAMEDAY!

The playoffs grow closer and boy howdy do the New Jersey Giants have a BIG game with the Lions from Johnny's hometown of Detroit in the rain today at  the new Meadowlands. Not often the Lions get out this way. Even less often leading a division by two games with three to play. The Lions last division title was back in 1993 when Scott Mitchell, Herman Moore, Barry Sanders and Johnny Morton led the Lions. Most Lions fans Johnny knows are expecting them to crash out and lose to the G-Men, Cowboys, and Packers at the end of the year and blow it. Somewhat new ground for the Motor City Kitties as they come east.

First off, if you had both the Lions and Giants and 9-4 when they played this game at the beginning of the year raise your hand.

Liarhead.

So, in the rain can the Lions running game, resurgent of late, move the ball on the ground and take pressure off Matthew Stafford's injured throwing hand? Despite what the Lions say it IS a big deal. The Bears only had a chance last week because Stafford got picked twice on throws into the flat that had nothing on them. With a wet ball can Stafford distribute it around like he wants and needs to, to the Lions better than average wideouts. There's your ballgame. Can the Giants force the Lions to pass. While neither team tears up the league in offense, (the Lions are 21st and the Giants at 27) both teams do hold onto the ball. Giants average 27 minutes a game while the Lions check in at just over 30 minutes a game with the football. Both QB's will take their shots downfield but a more conservative gameplan will be the order of the day in the rain.

This game will have a playoff feel to it no doubt. Both teams are fighting for their playoff lives, the Giants to keep pace with everyone in the NFC East and the Lions to keep ahead of Green Bay and realizing no wildcards are coming out of the NFC North. It should be a conservative game for the most part and yes, wet weather can make a quick hash out of a prediction. That being said this game smells like one played with a score in the teens or low 20's. If that's the case, and with the Lions seeming invincibility late when they need it AND the fact Matt Prater is the kind of kicker who can make long field goals when needed, here we go...

Fearless Forecast
Detroit Lions 19
New Jersey Giants 17

New Jersey Giants football gameday!

It sort of almost kind of feels like fall this morning around north Jersey and what better way to usher in a new season of New Jersey Giants football! The Giants are the first of two Monday night football games tonight with a late game featuring San Diego and, whatever. Two Monday night games. Stupid.

To downtown Detroit we go friends, and Johnny is going to hip some of you tri-staters that some Giants fans are going to come back from Ford Field and actually have nice things to say about downtown Detroit. They may have a glazed look, but know this, they weren't drugged....by Detroiters. Downtown Detroit is a great chic place anymore and when was the last time you heard that? Greektown, games at Comerica Park and Ford Field going on side by side, Mexicantown, great restaurants, the riverfront riverwalk, casinos, Woodward Ave, Canada a bridge or tunnel away and always great music. If you get the chance another time Ford Field is a great place to see a game.

The Giants are looking down the barrel of a very middling season. They aren't the team they were even two years ago. Depth is a big issue except in the secondary, the defensive line has worn down meaning each time Eli comes on he feels he needs a 14 point drive. This leads to mistakes yadda yadda yadda. While we doubt Big Blue will lose their first six games this year (And if they start 0-3 we think Cranky-pants Coughlin gets broomed) but this is a difficult road game. Forget Detroit can suck 90% of the time yet beat playoff teams when all the lights are on at Thanksgiving 43-10. Try, really try to forget Megatron plays for the Lions. A road game against a team that was close to breaking through the year before is a tough draw.

By all accounts Matthew Stafford is excelling in Jim Caldwell's new offensive circus-style gameplan. By all accounts Calvin Johnson is in the prime of a hall of fame career. The one thing Lions' opponents may fail to account for is Reggie Bush who had a great season with Detroit last year, rushing for a smidgen over 1000 yards. Spend too much time on Megatron and the Lions tight ends and Bush will feast. Detroit also added Golden Tate from the Super Bowl champion Peahens. So for all the weaponry at Stafford's disposal tonight Eli isn't quite so lucky. The offensive line is a mess and the G-Men's #1 pick WR Odell Beckham Jr. won't play tonight. The lack of a good NFL offensive line should concern Eli Manning's wife more than anyone because next to sack-meisters Nick Fairley and Ziggy Ansah lines up one Ndamukong Suh, who let's face facts is capable of any evil. One day he's just going to pull someone's leg off and beat them to death with it. Detroit has their next Alex Karras on the field today. Ndamukong just pawn in game of life. If Eli can't hook up with Victor Cruz better than last year and the new running backs aren't good, oh boy, this could be a long night and season.

No doubt the Lions well remember last Dec. 22 when the Giants but a dent hit in the Lions playoff chances 23-20. The Giants picked off Stafford twice and Megatron caught 3 balls all day. The Giants secondary had better be ready to help keep this game in the 20's as well.

Fearless Forecast (and yesterday's was a doozy kids)
Detroit 34
New Jersey Giants 20

Your Sunday NFL pigskin picks

Johnny was about the only one to pick the Jets upset of New England last week and so let's take another crack at making Las Vegas go broke.

Dallas at Detroit -- The Lions are at home. We said last week that'd be good enough to beat the Bungles. It was not. But the Lions are at home in this coin toss game. So the bet is on how much Ndamukong Suh will be getting fined for splattering Tony Romo.

Giants at Shegals -- The Giants are all hot and stuff with this wacky one game winning streak. The Philadelphia team hasn't been much better. We're going to say the Giants win in Philly today and enjoy the ride home.

Cleveland at Kansas City -- Can the Browns make the '72 Dolphins happy by 4pm today? Nope, the Chiefs go to 8-0 and the '72 Dolphins players can still head off to bed by 6pm.

San Francisco at Jacksonville -- Nice home field Jacksonville, Wembley Stadium in London. What did England ever do to us that we send them Jacksonville to participate in the Prince Wellington Super Cup?

Pittsburgh at Oakland -- Maybe this game would have been good in the 70's. One of these teams is out of the running for the playoffs after today. Sorry Raiders.

Or you could just go outside and play

Hey there NFL fans, don't turn in your betting slip or hand in your fantasy roster just yet

Not before reading Johnny's NFL pre-game prognosticating.

First off, let's talk fantasy. Don't take any Cleveland Browns again this week, month, season and do take the Lions Calvin Johnson who is more than just a great receiver, he's the Lions fans Xanax. If he doesn't play just watch 'em twitch. Dewey Oxberger was an aggressive gambler, Mr. Vegas, and we just know he'd go all in in Eli Manning on Monday night vs the Norse Marauders from the Land of Mall. Johnny agrees, bet everything.

Ok, enough of that.

How about the real meat and potatoes and Johnny throws out a few predictions for you hardcore gamblers.

Green Bay vs Cleveland
The Packers will grind the Browns bones to make their bread

Detroit vs Cincinnati
The Lions are at home so take Detroit in the battle of large cats in the midwest

NY Giants vs Minnesota
See above. The Giants win a pointless game that will cost them come draft day

NY Jets vs New England
The Patriots always win this game so here's Johnny's "It was only a car" upset pick of the week. The Jets pull the upset or the Jets will give you your money back!

Stoolers vs Modell's shitting birds
If the Browns contending means Johnny has to cheer for the Stoolers some weeks this will be a long year. The Pittsburgh 11 tend to get calls at home. They are at home today *wink* *wink*

Donkeys vs Colts
So much has been written about this game going in. Far, far too much has been written about this game. Nobody cares about the Colts owner or what he has to say. Johnny was going to pick the Colts until Irsay opened his cake hole and inspired the Denver Donkeys. Bet on the Staypuft MarshManning Man

Get out there and get your gamble on!

Giants (and the other team) gameday!

Remember when we all snickered last week in our "coverage" of the Jets game because it was pointless? Here's the preview of today's Giants game:


OK, now that that unpleasantness is behind us, wait, what's that you say? The Giants still have an outside squeaker of a chance to make the playoffs. Yes, if the Detroit Lions somehow win in late December in Chicago the Giants could make it.


So cheer for the Giants to sack, harass and smash Mike Vick. He deserves no less. But expect a real gameday thread when the Lions need to win on the shores of Lake Michigan? Pfffffffffft.

Who do the Jets play?

Happy Thanksgiving from all of us here at the Jersey City Desk!

You know we're sincere when you see the exclamation point ya know. Enjoy the day with family and friends and see if you can't work Samoset into your discussion today. You'll sound like your grade school education wasn't just spent eating paste. Try and give thanks for something important today and not just that Aunt Donna brought extra pies. If you were trying to track this American classic down search no more, gather the family round for 'Turkey Carols' and SING!

Happy Thanksgiving!

If you're kicked out of an NFL game peeps, get ready to go back to school

The NFL has decided that drunken louts, or maybe just regular louts need some schoolin'. Should a patron get kicked out of the New Meadlowlands (again, we're not getting paid to promote a corporate entity), or the Patriots home digs you'll need to attend a class and pass a test to be allowed the "privilege" of seeing NFL football live.

Look, we're all seen people who make us uncomfortable at sporting events. We've seen it again and again and again.

Is a class really going to make someone behave better?

But Johnny, the NFL says if you don't take the class you can't go to another game. Yeah, right, pull this one, it plays jingle bells. If you want tickets to a game yet you can't access your regular season tickets because the privilege of paying The Ballclub a personal seat license has been revoked there are a myriad of ways to get them, no class needed (hey a little joke there).

Again, the NFL uses fairy dust on a real problem and then tells everyone they are out ahead of said problem. No, they are not. Johnny quit going to NFL games at the end of 2008 after years of enduring years of loutish and drunken stupidity (In Detroit and Cleveland) which became so bad one afternoon in Cleveland Browns Stadium he physically had to punch out drunken toads who became violent after using racial slurs after pouring beer on Johnny, his wife and an African-American couple next to them. Getting to the point where you must physically protect yourself and your wife was the last straw. Think those group of guys who pulled that are having any trouble seeing Browns games?

It ain't worth it, class or not. The NFL has a horrible problem they refuse to address, booze inside the stadium after hours spent drinking outside. When you want to discuss THAT NFL then Johnny may consider going back to an NFL game. The inmates run the asylum at these events and threatening a fanbase with a bad behavior class will change nothing. It only gives the NFL a fallback.

Sunday NFL open thread

Now, we all know you'll be fixated on the Lions hosting the Browns for the inside track on the #1 overall draft pick (and let's face facts here, when you are a Browns and or a Lions fan draft day is the most exciting day od the year). Two 1-8 teams having at it for abject ineptitude. Johnny's call is the Browns losing most excellently.

In other NFL action the Giants are at home in the Meadowlands at 1 pm (Again, the drinking has already begun) vs. the run happy Falcons. This could be a much tougher game than many Giants fans think. Matt Ryan doesn't simply go out usually and make horrible errors. New Jersey's other team is up in New England awaiting the wrath of the Patriots who are no doubt looking to exact revenge on Rex Ryan's big mouth. That game kicks off at 4:15 pm.

Dallas and Washington are playing at 1 pm in the new big old stadium in Dallas and we here know many fans are cheering for Tony Romo's head to get knocked off and go rolling across the field turf in the new DallASS Stadium.

Philly at Da Bears is our night game tonight.

So ballers, if you're got something to say, say it here, again, we allow profanities whereas the Jersey Journal or the Star-Ledger don't.

NFL open thread

Jets and Giants both winning, good lord the Lions are winning and of course the Browns are getting blown out...

Talk NFL here today...