Over the regular season the Giants’ offensive line ranked 7^th in the league.  This includes a ranking of 7^th in sacks allowed and 13^th in QB hits allowed.

If we break it down by individual positions along the line, the tackle spot becomes more of a pressing need heading into next season.  Pro Football Focus published their latest statistics for pass blocking efficiency.  Unfortunately, the Giants did not fair well on an individual basis in this category.  David Diehl finished dead last in the league with a pass blocking efficiency rating of 90.4.  The pass blocking efficiency rating takes into account sacks, quarterback hits allowed, quarterback hurries allowed divided by the number of pass blocking snaps.  The soon to be free agent, Kareem McKenzie, came in only 12 slots better in overall ranking with a 92.7 efficiency ratio.  Finally, Will Beatty, in his first year as starting LT, came in 50^th out of 75 with a 93.6 rating.

If we look at their run in the playoffs the offensive line truly only faced one very formidable test as it relates to pass blocking.  Atlanta had an aging John Abraham, Green Bay has Clay Matthews but not much else and the Patriots outside of their DT in Wilfork are not known for their pass rushers.  That leaves us with the 49ers.  In the postseason the Giants OL finished dead last in offensive line statistics.  But let’s put this into perspective.  They played more games than anyone.  The 49ers accounted for 6 of the 11 sacks the Giants gave up in the postseason and 12 of the 29 quarterback hits on Eli in the postseason.

The NFL is a copycat league.  Teams will take notice of how effective the 49ers were against the Giants. The NFC East teams will invest top dollars to improve their pass rush ability.  Overall, you could conclude that an OT position will be given high attention by the Giants’ front office heading into the NFL combine, free agency and/or the draft.  We all witnessed Eli Unitas' clutch play and elusiveness in the pocket all season and into the playoffs.  If the organization wishes to protect their $100 million investment, an upgrade at the tackle position should be a high priority.  It also wouldn't hurt to improve upon a running game that finished dead last in rushing yards with 1,427 and yards per carry, 3.5, in the regular season.

The Giants are reportedly $5 million plus over the cap.  We should expect some restructuring of contracts as “Eli has a 2012 cap number of $16.35 million and is due $11.25 million in total compensation, largely coming via a $10.75 million base salary that could be reduced and converted into a signing bonus that is prorated over the four remaining years of his contract.”  Other candidates to keep are “Safety Antrel Rolle ($7 million cash, $9 million cap), guard Chris Snee ($5.75 million cash, $8.5 million cap) and defensive tackle Chris Canty ($6.25 million cash, $7.95 million cap).”

It is doubtful that the Giants will have the cap dollars to seek free agency help at tackle but some names to keep an eye on are Jared Gaither and Demetrius Bell.

The collegiate prospects to keep an eye on at the combine are: Mike Adams (Ohio State), Riley Reiff (Iowa), Andrew Datko (Florida State) and Jonathan Martin (Stanford).

Finally, a good read on why Victor Cruz won't likely be getting a huge payday anytime soon.

Two interesting threads have been often discussed the past week and a half after the Super Bowl:

1) Should Bradshaw have gone down at the 1 yard line to kill more clock and kick the FG?

2) Eli as a QB that has a very special ability to win games in Q4/playoffs.

Some people have posited the question- is Eli a Hall of Famer?  I prefer not to get into that question, as I feel it is less meaningful at the current time.  What I do find meaningful to understand is- where Eli is with respect to his peers in leading his team to Q4 comebacks.  Someone asked me on email who else was there with (or better than) Eli in Q4 comebacks, and my quick response was Unitas, Staubach and Elway.  Why did I answer those three?  Because my father always talked about the Q4 prowess of Unitas, and I repeatedly saw firsthand how Staubach and Elway were lethal at the end of a game.

Interestingly and not so uncoincidentally, Cold Hard Football Facts discussed precisely the same question.  I was somewhat confused not see Staubach on the list, but not surprised to see Unitas and Elway there.

My father, aka Marvelous, recounts Johnny U:

As I'm 85, I have seen so many thru all of their careers.  John Unitas was my choice as the man I'd LOVE to be under center.  He was MORE STEADY than most of these QB's & his receivers were average to good with the EXCEPTION of Berry.  Berry was was not fast but he ran perfect routes & had great hands.  Unitas & Berry were so in tune with one another!

That last drive (1958 Championship) was brilliantly accomplished.  Precision-like.  I was there too.  And I knew (KNEW!) it was over before John took them to that first huddle.  The Colts had balance.  Alan "the  horse" Ameche scored the  winner ONLY  because the team played to WIN their owner's huge wager!  They can deny it till doomsday arrives.  I was freezing.  The Giants  D was VERY STRONG too.  All the Colts needed was a FG but even down at the goal line they went for the points  that owner  Carroll Rosenbloom needed to win his bet! What if Ameche fumbled & they went on to lose?? That would have made a fantastic story.

To now have a Giants QB in his prime, a calm and lethal assasin in the 4th Quarter, is a tremendous weapon for the gmen.  The combination of Eli's elevated consistency throughout the game, throughout the season and at the end of every game is going to make the Giants competitive with anyone, be it Brees, Rodgers, anyone.  To gather the full dimension of this impact, we relink to the Bill Simmons piece the day after the Super Bowl to understand facing Eli through the opponent's eyes:

"Five minutes left. Two more first downs and it's a wrap. Don't give Eli the ball back. Don't give Eli the ball back. Don't give Eli the ball back. At least I saw the bullet coming this time."

Sound familiar?  It's Eli Unitas!

It is a nice problem to have, drinking in a Super Bowl title.  Now that we have all come down to earth and the reality of the Giants having a 4th Super Bowl is with us, we are also experiencing the withdrawal accompanying the end of football in 2011.  We'll have the combine, free agency, the draft, minicamp and preseason.  But the cold of February is a bleak reminder of a long road ahead.  We will have discussions about players and needs.  One thing I am more than happy about is that there is no strike. The NFL is back, and that is a lift compared to this time last year.

The end of this 2012 season will give us the first opportunity to grade the graders.  Thie conclusion of 2012 will be the first year of the Draft Project's verification.

New Yorkers are getting an extended February lift from linsanity.  I love the distraction.  I barely remember Willis Reed in '69 but I do remember Frazier and Monroe in '73.  It has been 39 years since the Knicks have won a title.  Could this town get treated to two in one year?!  That notion is the linsanity that is taking over NY; that's what you get when you win 7 straight with a new point guard who was on the edge of having a roster spot in the NBA.  But this is the craziness of sports.  This is how you can get a WR from UMass who gets a spot with the Giants because no one, not even the Giants, would pay (his travel) to have him try out for the team.  Jeremy Lin was CUT by Houston!  The guy has more points in his first 4 starts than any player since the merger.  His points will go down but his assists should go up.  He is unselfish, a true point guard.  Last night he had 13 assists.

Yes, this is a NY Giants blog, so why do we give so much attention to basketball?  I'll let you in a secret- one of the reasons why I started this blog was because a relative's nephew was blogging the NY Knicks back in '06.  30 minutes later I was posting.  Seth is still toasting.  

There has been a lot of debate recently about Bill Parcells being left out of the Hall of Fame on his first Ballot.  He’s already a Hall of Famer in many Giants fans' eyes, turning the franchise around from the abyss of the 70s and bringing the team 2 Super Bowls.

Dan Pompeii of National Football Post gives his take on all the ruckus of him not being voted in and why he will eventually be voted in.  What was remarkable about Parcells is he won wherever he went and turned teams around into contenders.  Pompeii added, “what makes Parcells stand out is not his record alone, but the footprint he left on the game. Greatness is measured in more than wins and losses.”  Just look at his coaching/GM tree: Belichick, Pioli, Crennel, Weis, Tannenbaum, Payton, Haley, Coughlin, Palmer and Zimmer.

Here is what Sean Payton had to say about Parcells:

“He was one of the greatest motivators of our time, and that resulted in him being able to get the best from his teams. Parcells’ greatest strength is he understood people and behavior, competitive behavior.  He understood what it took to practice well, play well and win, better than anyone I’ve ever been around. He knew how to stay on coaches, then at a certain point, when you might be getting frustrated, he’d be in your office talking about something funny. It was the same way with players. He’d have nicknames for everyone. He was extremely hard on you at times. He knew how to prepare a team to be at their best when they needed to be. He knew how to challenge players. I’ve seen him create a crisis.  Despite his image, Parcells was flexible, not a system coach like so many are today. He was able to take whatever he had and bend his philosophy to fit.  He was always looking to build his scheme based on the talent he had.”

Belichick:

“He was a turnaround specialist, making bad teams good ones. This was due mostly to his ability to see the big picture. He was able to go into a team and, even though there were a thousand problems, he could identify the ten most important things and get six or seven of them fixed right away and make the team competitive.”

Palmer:

“He was very good at identifying players who would fit his teams, and he had specific traits he was looking for in everything from a quarterback to a practice squad linebacker.  He has a distinct image of what each position should be, and he fits the player to the position.”

It is a damn shame Parcells is not a first ballot Hall of Famer.  This fraud of an election committee collectively decided to put personalities before principles.  Apparently, Parcells hurt the feelings of some of these hack "journalists".  This is the reason why the Tuna is not in the Hall of Fame.

Pete, one of our experts here at UltimateNYG, opines on the Parcells snub: 

I have struggled this year with professional football, the quality of the game, the lock out, and the treatment of players.

Nothing has made my blood boil like what happened!!!!

Bill Parcells was not admitted to the Hall Of Fame on the first ballot!! It has never been more clear about what ills the game I have played, the game I worked for, and the sports passion of my life, than this outrage!!

Bill Parcells by stats is one of at least the top five coaches to ever lead a team.  Parcells and George Young turned a miserable Giant franchise into a two time super bowl winner. He made a terrible Jet team a contender. He made Men out of boys, as people like Curtis Martin said after this shame.

Martin deservedly made the hall on the first ballot, which was “soiled” by the snub of the man he credits with his success. Martin credits Parcells with his HOF career and said ”it would be my honor to introduce him to the Hall.” People who made a difference like Gil Brandt, the men who played for Parcells and most other living HOF members were stunned by this outrage. Parcells was all about the game and was a hero of mine.

Sure, he made enemies as most people who excel do. Yes, he was and ”is” "eccentric,” as he went from the Giants to the Patriots, Jets, Cowboys, and the Dolphins. I felt betrayed when Mr. Bill left my Giants. I never really got over that and neither did this organization.

Parcells won everywhere he went. His players to a man respected him. He set records that most likely will never be broken. He dedicated his life to this game.

It was never about money for Bill.  It was about football, his players, and the game.

I would argue that greatness is measured in many ways but look at who worked for Bill and went on to become a head coach elsewhere. No one can boast that the likes of Payton, Crennel, Belichick, Haley, Coughlin, and even Garrett learned learned the game under Bill.

Both coaches in Super Bowl XLVI worked for Parcells, which speaks for itself.  Pro football will never be the same for the disgrace of their actions and disrespect for a man who earned the “Hall.”

If you are a New York sports fan and do not yet know who Jeremy Lin is, then you must be living under a rock.  Or not be a Knicks fan. 

Last night, mouth agape at how this kid has exploded onto the scene virtually overnight, I tried to summon up a comparable sense of someone coming from out of nowhere to take over a sport. My first thought was Kurt Warner but then I stopped.

Victor Cruz.

This kid Lin is doing a Cruz on the Knicks!

It has only been 4 games. Is it a flash in the pan? James Worthy doesn't think so. Will other teams defense him and expose him? Well, they didn't with Cruz. As we know, teams resorted to doubling him in order to stop him. If they have to do that with Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony coming back (oh, did I forget to mention that this kid is doing it w/o the "help" of two offensive powerhouses?!!!), then it is going to be a picKnick. 

Speaking about powerhouses, guess where Lin played basketball?  Yep, that Cambridge, Massachusetts hotbed of basketball recruiting, Harvard.

The Knicks have been wandering through the NBA Dolan desert for a while now.  Can Lin lift the Knicks the way that Cruz did it for the Giants in 2011?  That would not be a bad template, getting doubled in the NBA Championship. Time will tell.  For this moment, let's just enjoy the linsanity.