Philly

Fred Smoot's Father · Jan 8, 2009 at 3:46 PM

Gonna rape the G-men

Wise One · Jan 8, 2009 at 4:02 PM

Fred Smoot's Father said: ↑

Gonna rape the G-men
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Giants by 10

magnus · Jan 8, 2009 at 4:09 PM

Paladin · Jan 8, 2009 at 4:34 PM

That's an awesome pic.

magnus · Jan 9, 2009

Scouts said:

This should be a classic NFC East matchup between two teams that simply don't like each other. The Eagles have been one the hottest teams in the NFL, and the Giants are the defending Super Bowl champs. Are the Eagles getting hot at the right time, as the Giants did last year? In earlier matchups this season, both teams won on the road. Both defensive coordinators -- Jim Johnson (Eagles) and Steve Spagnuolo (Giants) -- will be aggressive and creative in their designs. The Giants will continue to rely on their running game to set up the play-action attack for QB Eli Manning, while Eagles offensive coordinator Marty Mornhinweg will emphasize the short, quick passing game to set up the run. Plus, the kicking game will be critical to the outcome.

When Philadelphia has the ball

After studying the Eagles' offense this season, it's easy to see that it revolves around RB Brian Westbrook. The running game has not always been successful due to his minor injuries, but he is a threat to score anytime he touches the ball. He has developed into the perfect back for coach Andy Reid's West Coast attack. He can run and catch, which are huge attributes within this system. Mornhinweg will continue to align Westbrook in different spots within the formations to create one-on-one matchups for the Eagles' perimeter players. Plus, they will use a lot of pre-snap movement, especially with WR DeSean Jackson. Spagnuolo must find a way to bracket (inside-out) Westbrook with a corner, safety or linebacker without getting exposed on the back end. The Eagles love to use their short passing attack with QB Donovan McNabb as an extension of the running game. McNabb does a very good job of extending plays in the pocket with his feet, while finding lesser-know playmakers down the field in the passing game (Jason Avant, Hank Baskett and TE Brent Celek). Spagnuolo's scheme is predicated on stopping the run and getting to the quarterback with his four-man rush, which at times places a lot of stress on CBs Corey Webster and Aaron Ross. The Giants have a very explosive pass rush led by LDE Justin Tuck, who creates a lot of problems for any protection scheme when he is aligned on the inside.

When New York has the ball

The Giants have a very good offense that is built around their standard two-back groupings and a league-leading rushing attack that averages 157.4 yards per game. Manning finished the season with his fourth consecutive season of more than 3,000 passing yards, plus career highs in completion percentage (.608) and passer rating (86.4). However, the loss of WR Plaxico Burress has hindered the Giants' passing attack, especially the deep ball, and placed even more pressure on Manning and the Giants' offensive line. Johnson has been a master at confusing quarterbacks in recent weeks with his multitude of coverage designs and zone-blitz pressure packages. The Eagles have played well throughout the season, and Giants offensive coordinator Kevin Gilbride will have his hands full attacking the Eagles' defense while making in-game adjustments with his protection schemes. The Giants must find a way to get Manning into a rhythm quickly by attacking the short and intermediate areas with their quick passing game. Expect the Eagles to continue to utilize their base 4-3 defense on early downs with their three safeties on the field to match up better versus the Giants' running game. FS Brian Dawkins and SS Quintin Mikell can alter their looks by inverting downhill late in Manning's cadence to give the Eagles an eighth defender in the box or a single zone-blitzer, with Quintin Demps as the single high safety on the back end.

Matchup to watch

Eagles RB Brian Westbrook vs. Giants MLB Antonio Pierce
Westbrook is one of the most electrifying players in the NFL, while Pierce is a playmaking MLB who stabilizes the interior of the Giants' defense. However, Spagnuolo can ill-afford to isolate him in one-on-one passing situations. Westbrook is an explosive playmaker who places a lot of pressure on opposing defenses. He is a good athlete with very good running skills, instincts and vision. He has the speed to press the hole and run to daylight with acceleration. Westbrook can turn a short gain into a long, explosive downfield play. He is a better outside runner than inside runner, but he has slowly improved the latter over his career. He has good pass-catching skills and is a productive runner in open space. Meanwhile, Pierce is the leader of New York's defense; he handles the calls and adjustments along the defensive front. He has good range and athletic skills for the position. He is a smart, instinctive player with good anticipation when reacting to blocking patterns. Pierce is a fast-flow linebacker who must be protected well within the box. He is an effective tackler in the box with good anticipation when timing up zone-run blitzes.

Eagles Keys to Success

1 Balanced offense: The Giants did not allow an individual 100-yard rusher in any of the first 12 games, but were gashed in three of their last four games by Westbrook (130), Panthers RB DeAngelo Williams (108) and Vikings RB Adrian Peterson (110). Mornhinweg must be patient in his play selection and not get overaggressive early in the game. The last time these two teams met, in Week 14, the Eagles had a 42-to-30 run-to-pass ratio.

2 Strong play from back seven: In the middle of the season, Johnson made a couple of lineup changes that really improved the Eagles' defense, especially against the Giants in the last meeting. CB Joselio Hanson replaced CB Lito Sheppard as the Star (slot corner), while CB Sheldon Brown moved to the outside. Johnson also replaced WLB Omar Gaither with second-year player Akeem Jordan. This move gave the Eagles more speed and quickness, which improved their matchup ability versus the run and pass. Hanson is an athlete with the foot quickness to cover a slot receiver, which is a major key in Johnson's coverage schemes because he has half of the field to work with. Also, Dawkins' versatility has expanded a lot within the Eagles' schemes.

3 Protect the edges: The Eagles have a lot of experience at the tackle positions. RT Jon Runyan is a tough, competitive player who has limitations as a pass-blocker, while LT Tra Thomas remains a reliable asset protecting McNabb's back side. The Giants have two very good pass-rushers out on the edge within their base schemes in Tuck and RDE Mathias Kiwanuka. Tuck is a scheme-changer who must be accounted for on every down. With the crowd noise in New York, both Runyan and Thomas must do a great job of getting off the line of scrimmage when the ball is snapped. Look for the Eagles' protection schemes to account for Tuck, which will allow one-on-one situations for Kiwanuka against Thomas.
Giants Keys to Success

1 Manning in a rhythm: Manning needs to do a great job of managing the game. Johnson will try to confuse him with different looks and disguises in order to bait him into game-changing mistakes. Manning must be patient both in the pocket and with his pre-snap reads, while taking what the defense gives him. It is imperative that Manning has a high completion percentage and gets into a rhythm early.

2 Front-four pressure: It all starts up front with the Giants' pass rush led by Tuck. If the Eagles can't get their running game going and fall behind early, this will play right into the hands of Spagnuolo. The key for the Giants is to stop the run and pressure with four, while playing maximum coverage on the back end. However, if the Giants can get the Eagles in those third-and-long situations, the Giants can tee off with their creative blitz pressure packages and force McNabb into some critical game-changing mistakes.

3 Pound the rock: The combination of RBs Brandon Jacobs, Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw behind a powerful offensive line can wear down a lot of defenses. Jacobs is a load and cannot be brought down by one defender, but he has an upright runner that takes as much punishment as he dishes out. Ward is a powerful runner who can be deceptive with his play speed, while Bradshaw has the combination of speed, power and elusiveness in open space. Jacobs and Ward each totalled over 1,000 yards rushing.

Scouts Edge
This has all the makings of a tough, physical battle that should go down to the wire. The Giants love to pound the rock and control the line of scrimmage, while the Eagles love to use the versatility of Westbrook to create mismatches. There are a lot of similarities in the way that both coordinators will set their defense and attack with multiple looks, disguises and blitz pressure schemes. Both teams will also place a huge emphasis on the kicking game because field position will play a big part. This should be a great game and anything can happen when these two proud organizations hook up, but the Eagles are on a roll and having fun, so we like the Eagles to upset the Giants on Sunday.

Philadelphia 23
NY Giants 20
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Village Idiot · Jan 9, 2009 at 5:04 PM

that would whip ass

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