Ultimate22 is going to be a vast majority of the coverage for this NY Giants blog in 2012, breaking down film of every Giant player on every play on offense and defense. 

We have gotten feedback via the comments here, through email and friends.  Everyone is excited about the objective information we will be able to collect and share with the blog.  And many also ask about the general analysis and discussion we have about the team.  That discussion on our end is mostly going to come from what we can objectively glean from the film work.  It does not mean that Ultimate22 is going to be 100% of the content, but it does mean that it will be try to be a good portion of it.  

A great deal of work will be required for Ultimate22 in order to do it right.  65 plays on each side of the ball X 11 players per play means over 1400 player plays per game to grade and collect. Then we have to cross reference every play for run/pass, down and distance, playcall, outcome, playing conditions and other data descriptor fields.  The result will be a treasure trove of information, but doing all of this work will mean much less content on non-Ultimate22 discussion on this side of the blog.  That doesn't mean the team won't be discussed, but (as an example) it does mean that instead of me writing my lengthy and detailed recaps, the time and effort is going to be placed with the analytical and objective review thru Ultimate22.

We have assembled a group of 10 people to break down film.  If you would like to lend a hand and make a commitment to this effort, let us know.  This is a tremendous amount of work that we are taking on, so if we can spread it around with some extra support, all the better.  

By now you have been reminded a few times that we think that OL, specifically OT, is the most critical position this year for the Giants.  There will be extra value for us to see the grades of Beatty and Diehl, or even more importantly, Beatty's replacement.  When we are watching the game, it is next to impossible to watch a single position (beyond QB) for more than a fraction of the plays.  We are looking forward to having every position captured and scored.  This report won't be coming on Monday morning, but it will come out through the week after each game.  And after the fourth game of the season, the data will be even more valuable as we begin to track the trends.  Tom Coughlin preaches improvement throughout the season.  We will get to see where there is improvement and where there is not improvement. It should be a very interesting season.    

UltimateNYG has been an award winning NY Giants blog because it innovates to provide objective insight into the Giants and the NFL.  In continuation of that innovation, for 2012 we will be breaking down film and grading every Giants player for each snap on defense and offense during the season.  The information collected will be shared with the blog through the week and objective observations will be made about players and positional units.  As the season progresses, much more information will become available for us to analyze and share with readers.  Situational data will be collected and compared.  As an example, we will have data on precisely how each player and each unit performed in passing downs, or in play action.  With all players being graded on all plays, we'll be able to quantify who are making big plays and who are not.

This new blog format is being made possible by the "All 22," video that is going to be available which shows the play of all players on every snap.  With greater access to this media, it affords us the opportunity to learn more about each player. 

All players have their good and their bad moments.  Hopefully the good outweigh the bad, but by how much?  Anecdotally, last year we watched as Kareem McKenzie did not play through the whistle on every play.  But was his overall play able to compensate for these occasional transgressions?  McKenzie was a great free agent signing for the Giants in 2005.  He helped the team win two titles. But his age showed as the season (and individual games) wore on.  An experienced veteran, he tried to conserve energy so that he could be effective through 60 minutes.  But McKenzie occasionally got caught for releasing his block before the play was over, and the result was more than a few unnecessary problems for Eli and the passing game.  McKenzie is no longer a Giant, but quantitatively we will be able to catch these lapses, as well as the good plays made by rising stars like Jason Pierre Paul and Victor Cruz.  We'll be able to track the rededicated efforts of Justin Tuck.  We'll be able to follow promising rookies on a per snap basis to normalize data for effectiveness when on the field.

UltimateNYG will still be commenting on the team in the traditional way, but with much more emphasis on this new format.  The community of Giants fans will be able to discuss the team with greater insight into who is doing what and under what playing conditions.  We look forward to a great 2012 season with you and our Super Bowl XLVI champions.            

A glimmer of hope?  Terrell Thomas is getting another medical opinion on his knee, and rumors are circulating that he will have a chance to return from injury this year.  This contrasts with the earlier prognosis that Thomas was not only done for the year but that (the rest of) his career would be in doubt.  According to this report from Garafolo, the extent of the injury is unclear.   

As we stated in the previous post, the goal for Thomas is really to be healthy and effective in 2013 and beyond.  2012's target for the Giants team was always modest.  Getting back on the field, competitive or otherwise, was going to be more than adequate.  At this point the Giants and their fans will be thrilled as long as TT's playing days are still ahead of him.  2012? great.  2013? fine.  TT and football? Whenever and wherever we can get it.     

The Giants lost Terrell Thomas.  Again.  The range of emotions at this moment for this player, his teammates, the organization and its fans are wide and strong.  Thomas was such a big contributor to the team, so when he went down last preseason, it was a difficult loss.  Yet the Giants won a Super Bowl without him, a tremendous testament to the accomplishments of the rest of the team.  But to lose Thomas again is painful and sad on so many levels.  Why?  Because a healthy Thomas was going to be helpful to the defense in defending its title here in 2012.  More importantly, this CB was going to make the team that much more competitive in 2013, when Thomas would (more likely) get back to the form he had in 2008-2010.  His career is now threatened by this injury.

UltimateNYG loves the "steak" of its second round draft picks.  No glamour.  Just consistently solid play from great players who generally don't get the attention of the R1 picks.  Guys like Webster, Thomas, Umenyiora, Sehorn, Toomer, Strahan, Jumbo Elliott, Snee... the list goes on and on.  Terrell Thomas led the team in tackles at CB for two consecutive seasons before getting hurt in August of 2011.  Injuries are a part of football, and the Giants will now count on Amukamara to pick up the slack.  Thomas may never have been a "star," but Giants fans know that he was a key defensive player.  Remarkably, Thomas was not a part of XLII or XLVI, getting drafted a year after the 3rd title and missing the Super bowl run with the first ACL tear.  But make no mistake, a healthy Thomas would have made a difference for the team and he will be missed.   

The last time we heard about the Giants' new free agent TE acquisition, Martellus Bennett had gone up to 296 lbs.  That was not a good sign, to say the least.  A You Tube video (loaded yesterday) has updated us with the latest on Bennett, and it is very good news: Bennett is down to 275 lbs and his personal trainer is targeting 265 lbs.   


Professional football players get paid millions of dollars to be professional athletes.  We go to work each day, and they go to the office too- it is to work out and have their bodies in the best possible shape so that they can compete at the highest level.  The linked video is ~33 minutes and gives us a good glimpse into what these men have to do to win games and win championships. 

Listen to the trainer working on Bennett's hand strength.  The trainer did his homework on Bennett and heard about his dropped balls. "By the time he leaves, they are not going to question his hands, because we are going to work on that..."     

It was during the offseason of his 3rd year that Amani Toomer began taking karate.  The difference in his strength, athleticism, professionalism, dedication and confidence were evident.  We are reminded of this when putting into perspective the efforts of all of these players to bring their game to the next level.  No one was a harder worker than Jerry Rice.  Victor Cruz raised the level of his dedication and attention to work when WR Brandon Stokley woke him up to the fact that he was out the door if he did not perform.  If Bennett is serious about making the most of his opportunity with the Giants, it starts right here in the gym with a lot of hard work.  It is a reminder to all of us (see the UltimateNYG book "Bounce") that genes and ability are not enough in any career- hard work separates the best from the rest.