http://www.yardbarker.com/content/player/3689 Recent articles about Justin Tuck en-us ESPN interview of Justin Tuck by former Giant Jesse Palmer. Sun, 20 Jul 2008 20:42:08 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/292964 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/292964 After their incredible 2007 Super Bowl run, what's on the priority list for the G-Men in 2008? Hazem Kiswani tells us the 5 keys to a Giants repeat in 2008. Sun, 13 Jul 2008 07:38:08 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289736 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/289736 The NFC East is of course one of the toughest divisions in football. Along with the AFC South it has to be named the most competitive division in the NFL. This is always a topic of discussion so here is how I see it. 1. Philadelphia Eagles: The Eagles finished 4th last year at 8-8. The year prior they finished 10-6 and taking the division. So consistency is really the question here. Can the Eagles reclaim the division? Well I see them doing just that. Many will disagree but you cannot count out that they have been the favorite in this division since the McNabb era started. This year they will go for not only the NFC East, but the Superbowl. Strengths: The Eagles have great lines on both sides of the ball. Trent Cole leading the way on defense and the strong tackles Jon Runyan and William Thomas have been playing with Donovan McNabb his whole career. Not to forget Shawn Andrews who has emerged as one of the best linemen in the NFL. Opponents must consider Brian Westbrook as the most lethal weapon in the NFL out of the backfield or from the slot. The Eagles have made a statement in free agency this year and really had the best offseason in the division. Picking up Cornerback Asante Samuel on the first day and Defensive End Chris Clemons on the second day plus many more, they are hinting they want it all this year. With a healthy McNabb, they should be clicking all year long. Weaknesses: The Eagles have always been known as a pass happy team. Andy Reid and company have been trying to balance out their offense for the past few years but obviously this team operates through the air. So it is like they live by the pass, die by the pass. It makes them one dimensional if they don't make an attempt to establish a run game early. Injuries have hurt this team as well. Brian Dawkins, Lito Sheppard, and Donovan McNabb have all suffered injuries over the past few years. If the leaders on this team cannot stay healthy, it will not be a successful year. Question Marks: Offensive consistency. Can this team score in the red zone? Can this team march down the field when they need to and win games? Can the offensive click and make big plays? Turnovers and field position. Can this team create turnovers? Can the defense score off turnovers? Can the special teams get field position for the offense? 2. Dallas Cowboys: The Cowboys have a high powered offense. We all know that. Quarterback Tony Romo has many weapons through the air and on the ground no mercy back Marion Barber runs with heart and power. The flashy superstar Terrell Owens is out to get his ring and after the water works last season in a press conference following the playoff loss against the Giants. He wants to make sure secondaries are the ones crying while he's running past them. Rookies like Felix Jones and Mike Jenkins look to make an impact as do new additions Adam Jones (formerly known as Pacman) and Zach Thomas. Strengths: Offensive firepower is what carries this team. Tony Romo passing to Terrell Owens and Jason Witten is torture to defenses. Romo threw for 35 touchdowns last season and looks to match that this upcoming season and show every doubter he is the real deal. Marion Barber and Felix Jones should be a fun duo to watch out of the backfield. With Jason Garrett calling the plays, Dallas can look forward to a very successful offense in 2008. Terence Newman and Demarcus Ware lead the Cowboys defensive unit which can create big plays. Weaknesses: The Cowboys don't have many weaknesses on offense. I would have to say the biggest weakness on offense is the 2nd and 3rd receivers. Patrick Crayton has showed flashes but not enough to be that solid number two receiver playing across from Owens. Terry Glenn was great next to Owens but has been rattled with injury the last few years. The biggest weakness on the Cowboys is their defense. They have a few good players but overall they are average. The secondary is the biggest weakness on the defense. Roy Williams is not a cover safety and big passes can be completed against this secondary. Newman received star status by many last year but I believe he is a bit overrated. He only had 4 interceptions last year. Not mind boggling, he is just an average corner who was given a huge contract. Newman will have to prove himself to me this season if he wants to earn my respect. Question Marks: Rookie impact. Can Felix Jones be the answer to Julius Jones' departure? Can Mike Jenkins hold his own at cornerback when given the opportunity? Will these two first round picks even get on the field? Offensive chemistry, drama free. Will Terrell Owens open his mouth and say the wrong thing this year? Can celebrity Quarterback Tony Romo keep his love life out of the media? Will disgruntled safety Roy Williams restart talks of a trade? 3. New York Giants: The Giants shocked the football world. No, scratch that. They shocked the entire universe! Beating the odds and the Patriots, they went on to win the Superbowl. The Giants showed everyone that defense wins championships. The Giants are anchored by their defensive line and high motor defensive ends. Eli Manning took a big step on the maturity level and drove the team down the field to score the winning touchdown. Plaxico Burress also has a lot to do with the Giants offensive success, and don't forget about the two headed monster of Brandon Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw. Strengths: The defensive ends of the NY Giants are Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck. Two players who never stop hustling on the football field. These two knocked around Tom Brady all game and really ruined the Patriots offensive gameplan. The Giants defense can really change games and help them win. The offense can be lethal at times with Plaxico Burress, the 6'5 receiver, at full health. Burress played all last year with a nagging ankle injury, never practicing. Jacobs, the big back, can run through defensive lines and score easily in the red zone. Weaknesses: The Giants lost three key defensive starters. Michael Strahan's recent retirement was the biggest loss. Strahan is a Hall of Famer and a legend to the Giants. Safety Gibril Wilson and Linebacker Kawika Mitchell were both signed as free agents by other teams. These players will be missed on the field next season as they all contributed heavily to the Superbowl run and win put together by the team. Eli Manning also still has lots of work to do. He has matured a lot over his career but still struggles at points in the regular season. He threw a league leading 20 interceptions. He has to be more consistent for this team to move up in the division. Question Marks: Overcoming losses on defense. Can the team move on without the leadership of Michael Strahan? Can the linebacking corps remain solid without Kawika Mitchell? How will the secondary react to the loss of Gibril Wilson, a young rising star? Quarterback consistency. Will Eli Manning return with a swagger? Can Manning keep his interception total down? Will Manning be able to live up to the star status he earned from "The Drive"? 4. Washington Redskins: The hard-nosed defense overcame the loss of Sean Taylor. The tragedy which took place midseason, Taylor was attacked in his home and died in the hospital, did not stop the Redskins from marching into the playoffs on the shoulders of backup Quarterback Todd Collins. Much like the Eagles 2006 run to the playoffs powered by Jeff Garcia, Jason Campbell was injured and veteran Todd Collins came in and took the team into the postseason. It should have been very motivating to be in the playoffs but the team fell short to Seattle in the first round. Joe Gibbs retired after the season was over and Jim Zorn was hired to coach the team. Strengths: The Redskins are a hustle team. The defense is made up of players who just play with pride. They want to win more than anything and they show it on the field. The offense has many weapons from Clinton Portis to Santana Moss to Chris Cooley. Many players who can hurt a defense in many different ways. Rookies Malcolm Kelly and Devin Thomas will try to win starting jobs at wide receiver in 2008. The Redskins offense is built around speed. Guys like Antwaan Randle El, Ladell Betts, Santana Moss, and Clinton Portis fly around the field to make plays. The Redskins have a solid offense and defense looking to improve next year in consistency. Weaknesses: The Redskins took a shot in the dark when they hired new head coach Jim Zorn. He was the quarterback coach of the Seattle Seahawks in 2007 and he has no experience as a head coach. This can make a huge difference on a team, especially a young one. The Redskins have not seen consistent play from their young quarterback, Jason Campbell. He has to improve his consistency and stay healthy to make an impact in the 2008 season. The defensive side of the ball has to all come together and play like they did at the end of 2007. The Redskins have to unite as a defense to win because they really do not have any standout leaders on that side of the ball. If they cannot play as one, the outcome could be brutal. Question Marks: Defensive leadership. Will the young defense be able to overcome the passing of team leader Sean Taylor? Can they play together as one unit and make plays? Can a young player step up and take charge of this defense? Coaching staff. Will Jim Zorn be able to productively coach this young team? With no experience, will Zorn know how to handle the emotions of this football team? We have seen frauds like Nick Saban and Bobby Petrino, will Zorn be one of them? Sat, 28 Jun 2008 23:58:27 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/283735 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/283735 In what is most likely the most competitive division, the defending Super Bowl champions Giants will battle it out with the Cowboys for the division title. The Redskins have a new coach and high expectations, and the Eagles hope their new shutdown corner Asante Samuels boosts their defense. We simulated out the entire season and provide you with team analysis, projected scores and fantasy sleepers. Tue, 17 Jun 2008 17:44:48 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/279066 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/279066 Defensive end is one of the most important positions on your defense. Look at the New York Giants and how they won the Superbowl. Pressure, pressure, and more pressure. Something Tom Brady is not used to seeing much of. So with that being said, here are the teams who benefit most from having a scary tandem at defensive end. 10. Kyle Vanden Bosch & Jevon Kearse: The unpredictable outcome of Jevon Kearse's return to Tennessee after a horrific showing in Philadelphia for the past 4 seasons pushes the Titan's tandem to ten. 9. Elvis Dumervil & John Engelberger: The Denver Broncos have a young star emerging on the line in Elvis Dumervil. Dumervil had a breakout season last year recording 12.5 sacks, 4 fumbles forced, and 1 interception. The problem is, the Broncos will have a position battle for the left defensive end spot. John Engelberger started last year but Jarvis Moss will be fighting for playing time and so will Tim Crowder, two young guys waiting to jump in and shine. Until they have an established left end, I cannot move them up the list. 8. Adewale Ogunleye & Mark Anderson: The two Chicago ends helped anchor a defense that pushed this team to a Superbowl appearance just two seasons ago. The defense took a step back last year and did not have the type of season that we are used to seeing from a Bear's defense. Ogunleye and Anderson each had an alright season, but not to potential. 7. Will Smith & Charles Grant: The New Orleans Saints are not especially known for their defense, but Smith and Grant want to make us believe otherwise. With the help of a revamped front 7 (additions of Jonathan Vilma and Sedrick Ellis) this tandem should be expected to do big things in 2008. 6. Mario Williams & Anthony Weaver: The first overall pick was a mistake right? Reggie Bush was the obvious pick right? Wrong. Dead wrong. Super Mario collected 14 sacks this past season and showed everyone that Houston made the right choice. But because of the lopsided sack count, as Weaver had 0 sacks, they must be placed 6th. Not to be disappointed, they'll get better with experience. 5. Patrick Kerney & Darryl Tapp: The Seahawks pass rush brings two different skill sets to the line. Strength and speed. Patrick Kerney's brute strength gets him to the quarterback. He recorded 14.5 sacks this past season, 2nd in the NFL. Darryl Tapp brings speed and versatility to the line in Seattle. At age 23, he tallied 7 sacks, 3 forced fumbles, and 1 interception. Don't expect rest from these two, they bring it every single down. 4. Aaron Kampman & Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila: These two Green Bay stars are a bit overlooked by the football world. All the hype is on Brett Favre, but with his recent departure, it'll be up to the defense to get it done. Just check the stats, Kampman and KGB are the real deal. 3. Trent Cole & Chris Clemons: The Philadelphia Eagles are known for their offensive and defensive line play in the Andy Reid era. After Derrick Burgess departed to Oakland and Jevon Kearse did not pan out, Trent Cole has stepped in and been a force. His breakout numbers last season( 12.5 sacks and 4 forced fumbles) showed he is among the elite pass rushers in the NFL. Clemons played for Oakland but his numbers don't lie. This 24 year old decided to breakout the same year as Cole with 8 sacks 2. Osi Umenyiora & Justin Tuck: With Michael Strahan's recent retirement, the Giants have a new look to their defensive line. Expect Osi to take a lot of double teams, but expect Tuck to explode. Tuck recorded 10 sacks last year and is good enough to step in and make an impact. Do not expect him to fill Strahan's shoes, but expect him to play very well in New York. 1. Jared Allen & Kenechi Udeze: Jared Allen is arguably the best defensive end in the NFL today. He lead the NFL in sacks last season and will be added to the Vikings stacked defensive line. With the Williams' brothers in the middle and Allen on the end, expect Udeze to have a big impact as a lot of focus will be off of him. These two hold the number one spot for the best defensive end tandem in the NFL for the 2008 season. Sun, 15 Jun 2008 00:06:40 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/278076 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/278076 A big topic over the last month of the season that spilled into the offseason was the Giants and their relationship with tight end Jeremy Shockey. Shockey broke his leg in the third to last game, one which the Giants lost to the Redskins. The Giants then beat Buffalo without him, and put [...] Wed, 11 Jun 2008 02:05:21 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/276716 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/276716 For those of us that are fans of the New York Giants, this upcoming season will be one of the toughest in many years. True we are still all riding high off a Super Bowl win but we will now be minus the guy who has entertained us the most over the past decade, Michael Strahan. He's been the heart and soul of this team and the first player most of us name when talking about the team. This year we'll have a new look on the defensive line, minus Strahan the cast is the same but it will have an all new feel. Let's take a look at the NEW Giants new defensive end tandem. Osi Umenyiora - Right Defensive End - Undeniably Osi has been the most dominate force on the line the past couple seasons, now he also becomes this defenses leader. Osi and Strahan were best friends, both fed off each others energy, and from that it would spark the rest of this defense. Is he ready to do all by himself? I have no doubt in my mind that he can handle the leadership role. He doesn't have the complete outgoing personality as Strahan, where you wait on every word to see what he'll say next. BUT, he does scream FUN! This guy loves football, he loves being out there every down, and he brings tremendous energy to EVERY play. During games this year, there is no doubt Osi will experience more double teams then he ever has before. While this may affect him initially, I don't think it will have a huge impact. Osi has so much talent that he'll figure out how to get the job done. The best thing thou is to avoid the double teams all together, and that job will fall on the new starting left defensive end …. Justin Tuck - Left Defensive End - Tuck will take over the role formerly occupied by Strahan. The pressure will definitely be on Tuck this year. He fully expects it to, but he's not letting it get to him. Tuck is going to let the media play that game, while he goes out and does his job on the field. "Pressure? No," Tuck said. "I'm smart enough to realize there's only one Strahan and there will always only be one Strahan. I'm not trying to replace Michael Strahan. I'm just trying to fill in and do my best to help this football team win. I'm not pinning that pressure on my back, as far as going out there and getting 22 sacks in a season." Statistically, Tuck had a better season then Strahan last season. Taking fewer snaps he had one more sack and a few more tackles. Don't get me wrong in no way I'm saying he's better thou! I'm a Giants fan Strahan is just the best, plain and simple. Tuck was granted starters money at the end of the season, and he will get his chance to prove he deserves it. "I considered myself a starter last year so it really doesn't matter," said Tuck. "I think it would add more reps and that's more exciting. You know your role better. Last year it was kind of hard, one day you're a starter, the next day you're backing up Stray and Osi. It was all over so it's harder to prepare. Part of the reason Tuck was so successful last season was how the Giants used him. The team used him to spell Strahan and Osi, but where he did his most damage was actually lined up as a defensive tackle. While being grossly undersized as a DT, Tuck used his speed to his advantage in passing situations. Teams were so worried about Strahan and Osi in those situations that Tuck was able to blow right by over weight and sloppy guards and centers. Most people think this is where Strahan's retirement will hurt the most. They think that Tuck will remain solely at the end position as the team plans on keeping Mathias Kiwanuka at strong-side linebacker. I disagree. Here's the reason. Kiwanuka is not a good pass defender at all, he's pretty weak at it. After missing a good portion of the 2007 season due to injury, he never got to improve on this. So till he shows he can be a good pass defender, he'll be benched during passing situations, mainly nickel defenses. Kiwanuka is mainly a pass-rushing specialist, playing in only 10 games last season he tallied 4.5 sacks. Why not slide him back to his original role of defensive end, when in nickel situations? "I've been through that whole 'What position I'm going to play' thing," Kiwanuka said. "The only way I can approach it is wait until I hear something. If they come to me in mid-game I could switch back." The team could let Kiwanuka take up the left defensive slot on those downs, and let Tuck shift over to defensive tackle. While Kiwanuka is not half the player Strahan was, it would still leave the Giants would three legitimate pass rushers on the line. That was in fact, when the team's defense was most dominant. The loss of Strahan will also hurt the team's depth. Tuck was also used in the backup role for both guys last season. The team will look internally and scour the free agent wire for more guys who can come in and just take a few snaps. Just last week, they signed Renaldo Wynn to compete for the back-up role. That again is another reason, I believe Kiwanuka should get some snaps on the d-line as well as linebacker next season. "Whenever you take a Hall of Fame player out of your defense, it's going to affect you tremendously," Umenyiora said. "He's a great football player, period. . . . I don't know if anybody is going to be able step up the way he played, but we have good football players . . . but we're talking about Michael Strahan here." Couldn't of said it any better myself. Thats why even with the rest of the same cast in place, this is a NEW Giants defensive line. It's still formidable, still explosive but it will take some time to create a new identity. One of its own, that doesn't center around, arguably, the best defensive player in Giants history. Tue, 10 Jun 2008 16:08:03 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/276549 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/276549 Who do you think the best pass rushers for the 2007 season are and how do they compare to the great pass rushers of the 1990's? Contemporary pass-rushing specialists such as Seattle's Patrick Kerney, the Giants' Michael Strahan and Kansas City's Jared Allen (39 combined sacks in 2007) have the ability to thrive in almost any era. This article also explains the different moves and techniques of pass rushing. Sun, 16 Mar 2008 15:13:50 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/203447 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/203447 SI lists the best Defensive Performances Sat, 09 Feb 2008 08:30:21 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/133217 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/133217 The draft is so essential to a team's success that its importance can't be undermined. One reason the Giants are Super Bowl champs is because they've been great in the draft. In this article, I compare the Eagles last four draft classes to the Giants to see where the Eagles went wrong. Mon, 04 Feb 2008 17:05:07 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/124733 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/124733 The New York Giants defeated the New England Patriots 17-14 in Super Bowl XLII. Although I didn't have the score right, I picked the Giants to win 23-20 in possibly the biggest upset in Super Bowl history. Mon, 04 Feb 2008 16:13:31 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/124690 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/124690 The New England Patriots perfect season was shockingly broken by the New York Giants. Eli Manning orchestrated an amazing last minute game winning drive to win 17-14 in Super Bowl XLII. That drive was capped off with a 13 yard touch down to wide receiver Plaxico Burress. Burress boldly guaranteed a Giants win before the game, and while he did not have a great game, he stepped up big....... Mon, 04 Feb 2008 11:10:47 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/124073 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/124073 This is good stuff from Strahan's Thursday press conference. It's long, but well worth it hear about he and Amani Toomer, why he doesn't like training camp, and making fun of the young players' machismo. Best quote.."I betcha anything that if Justin Tuck doesn't wear layers on Sunday, his goosebumps gonna be just as big as his muscles." Fri, 18 Jan 2008 00:51:42 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/75882 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/75882 With the Giants coming of there crushing lost against the Pats can they come back and knock off the Bucs and go and try to knock down the Bucs let's just wait till Sunday and see.With the injury to .I'd like to see how will the Bucs hold off the attack of Osi Umenyiora and Justin Tuck and have the O-Line get the holes to Earnest Graham and let give the Bucs get good field position. Well it'll also be interesting to see which Eli shows up, the one that showed up against the pats or the one that's afraid of the pressure of the playoffs and break down. If we see the Eli from last week and throwing the balls to Burress and just looking like his big brother Peyton. So if the Bucs find a chance to stop Jacobs and if Jeff Garcia has a good game then it's the Bucs game to win it but if they don't i have to give the slight edge to the Giants because I think Jacobs can run all over the aging Bucs D-Line. The AFC Wild Card preview tomorrow Fri, 04 Jan 2008 03:45:28 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/59514 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/59514 Friday's FIO weekly fantasy football columns deals with those leagues that implement Individual Defensive Players (IDP) - co-founder & editor Matt Hinzpeter discusses some of the key defensive players to keep an eye on in Week 11. Check this article each and every week on Fridays. Fri, 16 Nov 2007 16:46:38 -0500 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/36418 http://www.yardbarker.com/author/article/36418