In the recently concluded Monday night contest, the previously winless NY Giants were terrible. It's hard to comprehend how far and how fast Tom Coughlin's boys have fallen. Eli Manning appears clueless. Their entire once stout defense currently looks like a squad of Campfire Girls could march up and down the field against it. But they won the game, I think. I'll get back to that. And why?
Because the Minnesota Vikings were even worse. A LOT worse. Downright pitiful. It became evident early on that the Giants weren't going to let Minnesota super stud running back Adrian Peterson gash them for a bunch of big gainers. The Giants routinely had 8-9 guys in the "box" to stuff any running game the Vikes might attempt. Between strength, speed, and moves, Peterson is probably the best all-around running back in the NFL. But no running back now -- or ever -- would have much success against a defensive front like that. Basically, the Giants were daring, and even forcing the Vikings to throw the ball.
And that's where it got really ugly. Former starting Minnesota QB Christian Ponder was never going to be the answer, so they made a move and obtained Josh Freeman from the Tampa Bay Bucs. And guess what? He's even worse. A lot worse.
Sure, Freeman's relatively new to the Minnesota "system" and a "learning curve" is to be expected. But some things are just inexcusable, and Freeman had them on full display during the course of the game. Any QB at the major college level -- let alone the NFL -- is certainly expected to be able to throw the football with some degree of accuracy.
Not so, in Freeman's case. There went a pass sailing 10 feet over the head of a wide open receiver. There went another one 10 yards beyond his reach. There went yet another one woefully behind another receiver on a crossing route. And there goes a couple more into no-man's land, with no apparent receiver even in the vicinity. Repeat a few times -- and that pretty much adds up to what Josh Freeman was doing all night. He was even more clueless than Eli.
Idle thought: For a few extra bucks, receiver Greg Jennings left the Green Bay Packers to become a Viking? He ditched Aaron Rodgers throwing the ball to him for Christian Ponder, and now Josh Freeman? He abandoned the Lambeau leap for the Minnesota heap? Betcha he wishes he had a do over. If not, he might be a great receiver, but he ain't too bright when it comes to the big picture.
The Vikings have a few very good players but, overall as a team, they're pee-yew, as in stink it up bad right now.
Amongst many other foibles, one of their defensive backs had a Manning pass hit him right square in the numbers. It's was an easy "pick-six" going the other way. He dropped it. On an ensuing kickoff from the Giants, they same guy caught the ball, started to run, stumbled over his own feet, and fumbled without a defender ever touching him. Pitiful. Then he got all cocky strutting his "stuff" along the sidelines. What comes after pitiful and false bravado when the whole world has just seen him play like a chump? Might I suggest a bus ticket out of town?
Josh Freeman should be made exactly that. A free man, as in being immediately cut from the roster to go pursue whatever other job opportunities he can find in the world. Because he's obviously not going to come anywhere near getting it done for the Vikings as a QB. Did I mention pitiful?
As for yours truly only thinking the Giants won the game? They were ahead by a bunch in a battle of bad against even worse. But I can't say for sure the Giants actually won.
Because I didn't get to see the end of the game. Over the course of my lifetime, yours truly has seen a lot of gory stuff for reasons I won't get into. If one is in the wrong place at the wrong time and something bad happens -- one copes with it as best they can. Sometimes it's not a choice.
But in the case of this game -- there was indeed a choice. Click. I just couldn't stomach any more.
Pitiful.
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