Forgetting Plax

The shadows of Plaxico Burress may never go away for the New York Giants. At today's media day for the Super Bowl Brandon Jacobs, who has never been shy, said, "I know he wanted to come to the Giants."  

This response Jacobs gave the media is one that might be true or not, but it won’t go unnoticed. Burress was a great wide receiver with the Giants and helped them accomplish many things. Some people think that if he never shot himself in 2008 they would have repeated that year. Burress was a weapon unlike any other the Giants had ever had before. He was a player who could go over the middle or catch the deep ball. He is someone who will forever be remembered for making the game winning grab against the previously 18-0 New England Patriots.

Some people thought the Giants would never be the same without him there to help Eli Manning out. But the times have changed Eli is now considered elite by most people and the giants are headed back to the Super Bowl. Plaxico went from the top of the mountain by winning a Super Bowl in '07, to just going through the motions with the New York Jets and playing a mediocre season.

Now the Giants are four years older and maybe in a better situation. They are the hot team on a roll right now and some of that contribution comes from Plaxico's replacements; Hakeem Nicks, Victor Cruz, and Mario Manningham.

Hard Work

As a kid my father was always asking for more than I thought I could take. When it came to sports he would either take me to the batting cages for hours so I could get my swing down or be outside shooting hoops until it got dark. For many years I didn't understand why I was always doing all of this extra work when other kids were inside playing video games.

As I got older I started to realize that he was pushing me so I could be the best player that I could be. He wasn’t concerned with the outcome as much as he was with the effort I provided.

That lesson taught me a lot about life and what goes into being successful. The same could be said for Victor Cruz of the New York Giants. Cruz was somewhat of a no-name player when he entered this lockout season. He was buried on the depth chart of wide receivers and looked like he needed a miracle to get onto the field. In an article by ESPN New York's Ohm Youngmisuk, he explains Victor Cruz's ride to stardom. http://espn.go.com/new-york/nfl/story/_/id/7508706/2012-nfl-playoffs-hoboken-workouts-helped-grow-victor-cruz-confidence-early

That all changed when he got a call from the starting quarterback Eli Manning over the summer to come workout with him. This was an opportunity like no other because everyone is doing their own thing getting ready for the season without training camps. Cruz was now able to pretty much have a practice with Eli and be able to get in rhythm with him and have an advantage over his teammates and the competition.

After these practices over the summer you could tell that Cruz became Eli's security blanket all year and that all started by putting in some extra effort just like my father taught me. Cruz had a great season with over 1,500 yards and nine touchdowns. He was the Giants big play maker and he came out of nowhere. Now we see all their efforts have paid off with the Giants set to face the Patriots on Sunday evening.

Sometimes as fans we look at these players like they are super human and untouchable. But when you look at their stories and how they got to be where they are most of the time you find hard work and dedication. I will never forget those values that my father tried to instill in me as a young man.

Giants DB's Overlooked

During the 2011 NFL football season there were times where the New York Giants secondary looked like they were lost and confused.  It looked like the Giants were going to witness another epic collapse after starting the season off great. The leading culprits that I kept seeing the most was the veteran defensive backs. It was like they were out of sync and lost all the confidence they ever had. This all changed when, as a group, they decided they needed more film work with each other so they went to each others houses and watched film together. Mike Garafolo of The Star Ledger had a great story on how the Giants players were taking upon themselves to not let this season slip away. http://www.nj.com/giants/index.ssf/2012/01/giants_cornerbacks_get_it_toge.html

Starting safety Kenny Phillips is a big reason why the Giants defense turned it around. Philips said, “The chemistry is just crazy right now,” Phillips said. “I don’t want to say it’s just the meetings, but guys are just dialing in to what we’re doing.” And it is about time. The Giants defense is flying around looking athletic and physical.

When you look back at the 2007 run Corey Webster was one of the major reasons why the Giants won the Super Bowl. He was a shut down corner and he is proving it once again for the Giants. He has locked down on the opposing team's number one receiver and has done a great job.

His partner Aaron Ross (who takes a beating from most Giant fans) on the other side has only had two healthy years as a starter. He started in 2007 his rookie year and also this year. Both of those years the Giants went to the Super Bowl. He plays with heart and intensity and that's what you love about any player.

Most of the credit goes to the defensive line for the Giants turn around. I respect that opinion but when you have four or five guys flying around, diving, intercepting, and stripping footballs loose on the back end of your defense only good things can happen. Thankfully for the Giants that's the case, now they have to prove they can do it one more time against arguably the greatest quarterback of all-time in Tom Brady.