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A Giant Letdown

On this cold, snowy Chicago afternoon, I feel a need to comment on the New York Giants. Staring at a pile of books I have to read for graduate class this quarter at DePaul University, my mind shifts to the paper I’m supposed to write for tomorrow night’s Narrative Strategies class. Matt Bowen

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On this cold, snowy Chicago afternoon, I feel a need to comment on the New York Giants. Staring at a pile of books I have to read for graduate class this quarter at DePaul University, my mind shifts to the paper I’m supposed to write for tomorrow night’s Narrative Strategies class. Do I write it now? I probably should — in fact I know I should — but I just can’t do it. I have to write this first. I have to get this off my chest because as a former player, I was embarrassed to hear the talking heads on the radio this morning discussing whether Plaxico Burress would have made a difference in the outcome of the Giants’ season.

Of course he would have. Plax is a 6-foot-5 receiver who can separate from defensive backs and make plays with the football in his hands. Eli Manning would have looked better, those field-goal drives would have ended in touchdown drives, etc., etc., etc.

So what. There is something to be said for the way Tom Coughlin runs his football team. Actually, it has to be said, and I have no problem doing that today. You see, Coughlin came in and turned the franchise around, but he did it his way. Dress codes, meeting times, the way they practiced, the way they traveled and the way they were held responsible on and off the field. It brought them a Super Bowl title last year and a No. 1 seed this season in the NFC.

But we digress as sports fans. We want to chastise these players for their actions in society, but we find ourselves begging for them on Sundays. I hate to say it, but you can’t have it both ways. Now, before you fire angry emails my way, understand that the same can be said for the locker rooms in the NFL. I’ll be honest, guys like Plax make me sick when it comes to wearing that shield on their jersey, and I don’t really care if he is on my team. Don’t care if he can help us win. Don’t care if he is going to bring us another championship because we all should be held accountable. As a teammate, I am not going to turn a blind eye to this kind of nonsense to get a championship.

Why? Because there is something to be said about being on a team. What I mean by that is a group of guys — professional guys — playing together and playing for each other. Putting the team first is preached at every level of this game, all the way from high school to the pros, but you rarely see it at this level. I thought that this Giants team had “it” last year when it came to the team aspect, but isn’t it obvious that this distraction, this one guy doing his own thing (multiple times this season) slowly brought a team to its demise? Maybe, just maybe, I am talking about a pipe dream. A “team” at the NFL level? With free agency and monster contracts? Probably not, but the point here is that in the playoffs, one team comes together and plays like it.

Obviously, this didn’t happen down the stretch in NYC. Look, I don’t know Plaxico Burress personally and most likely never will, so don’t think that I’m judging him as a person. But I do know how things work in this league. Some teams would accept the fact that he’s a star, and with that comes some baggage, but sitting here today — looking back on my own career — I wouldn’t have it. Yes, it cost the Giants (who were the best in the NFC) their season. They dropped four of their last five games. They spiraled out of control. They lost their unity.

So as you listen to talk radio or read the columns by the big names, don’t question whether the Giants should have allowed Plaxico to play. Question whether he was the reason this season ended at home to a division rival that is playing like a team. 

We all get to make choices, and pro athletes are no different. Now I have to get to work on that paper …

Comments

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Matt Bowen
Jan 12, 2009
05:38 PM

Whoa Sammy... "Ice?" That's your boy Fortenbaugh....

Matt Bowen
Jan 12, 2009
05:39 PM

You are killing me today DC...

Da Coach
Jan 12, 2009
05:48 PM

Maybe Angelo can sign Willie B to replace K Ort....

Nice piece on Plax Matt... I agree with you.

Sammy
Jan 12, 2009
05:49 PM

Matty Ice...dont you get it? damn man...did you play in the league?? lol

Mel
Jan 12, 2009
07:31 PM

Good article and definitely worth stating as the dysfunction we see in some teams around the NFL shows what can happen with non-Team (individual) players.

There is no doubt that Plax would have changed that game. His game is made for a day when Eli is inaccurate, because he can simply throw it up and Plax would come down with it. So, no doubt he would have changed that game.

Whether they win or not, is very much another thing but there would have been more pass offence by the Giants and probably a TD or two (as Plax has a good record against the Eagles apparently).

Now, all that said and done, the Giants are better off as an organisation (please note I said organisation) WITHOUT Plax. As a TEAM on the field, I doubt that they will play better but overall they will be better for the lack of problems, as with Jeremy Shockey's move.

As a Giants fan, I have to trust that Jerry Reese will do what is right for the Giants organisation and find some way to make the best of a bad situation.

He has said that he could welcome Plax back, but he's a GM 3 months away from an idea of whether Plax will be in jail next year, of course he's going to keep his options open. Never make a decision in the media, until you have to in real life.

Whatever happens, the integrity and consistent nature (and even youth) of the Giants O-Line and D-Line will keep them playing at the top of the NFL for the next few years to come with or without Plax.

Bart15
Jan 12, 2009
07:51 PM

Nice post, Matthew. Your writing has improved ten-fold since your days in DC :)

The Linc
Jan 13, 2009
08:44 AM

No Plax was obviously a factor but no one should be blaming Coughlin for that, all the blame goes directly to Plax. If they allow him back on the team how do you think his teammates will look at it? Will they even want him knowing that he pretty much cost them a chance to defend their title? I would think there'd be a divided locker room. At this point he's not worth it, you have all year to find another WR and make it work w/out Plax.

One other thing, is Plax even recovered from his gunshot wound? Would he have been healthy enough to play even?

Matt Bowen
Jan 13, 2009
08:59 AM

Linc- That is a great point about the injury... I was thinking the same thing while I listened to all of these "experts" tell me how he should have been on the field yesterday on sports radio.

I'm not a doctor, but I would think that a gun shot wound is a little different than a strained hammy.

The Linc
Jan 13, 2009
09:14 AM

At best MAYBE he would have been cleared medically this week to play but he still would have been out of the lineup recovering for months and rusty/out of shape. And I stress maybe since I don't know a thing about recovering from gunshot wounds.

On top of that, if the Giants didn't place on them that non-football IR list it MIGHT have forced Goodell to step in and do something. Might have, no way to really know about that.

Jack
Jan 13, 2009
09:54 AM

Team spirit at the NFL level? It was refreshing 8 years ago when it was the patriots. Now its the copy cat model of success.

Mr.Murder
Jan 13, 2009
12:38 PM

The one call I didn't agree with was the Derrick Ward's third and short sweep. That should have been Bradshaw's rep.

Keeping Ward in the backfield for those reps keyed the attention of players who had run assignments.

That and Manning's fourth and short sneak, there was no fullback so they knew who would run it, and a fullback could have helped move the pile.

Mr.Murder
Jan 13, 2009
01:17 PM

Pierce got flagged for an illegal contact and he never touched anyone aside from the ball carrier? That play was was a signal for what was to come.

The early incompletion to Smith, had that worked(entirely uncovered) the game probably swings in the NYG favor early. It foreshadowed an entire series of unfortunate items, missed calls, bad calls, or non calls. Coughlin's team played some stand up football the last two years though.


As the coordinators leave this could signal the end of something they had, a certain identity in their schemes. They are still football Giants, they earned a seat to be part of that tradition.

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