Umm... Go Cowboys?

Who is Dayton?

I don't get why Giants fans hate on Coughlin, who continually wins in one of the hardest divisions, and wins a Superbowl when the Eagles and Cowboys don't win any with all the talent in the world. I guess that's why I'm not a Giants fan. Spoiled.

Harbaugh did a great job, but he is propped up by a very weak schedule and a joke of a division. The idea that Newton doesn't learn doesn't make sense. He came in with no pre-season and looked initially like a fish out of water, then he went on to score 34 TDs on a crap team with no talent around him. He is huge, super fast, and has a cannon for an arm. He is Michael Vick with an arm. He will dominate the league, I am sure of it.

"Shanahan is infamous for sticking any random dude in at RB and him having a 100 yard game because he knows how to make schemes for his O-line that make a serviceable RB into a superstar."

Yeah, it's easy to run for 100 yards when you coach your o-line to chop block.

@Putin - Dalton. Android autocorrect strikes again!

Yeah, the offensive line is why the Giants had no running game at all this year. It doesn't bode too well for the playoffs. But, we have the best pass-rush in the league (sacked poor Romo 5 times Sunday) and an elite quarterback in Eli Manning. I've only *just* got comfortable saying that Eli is elite. But now that he has (mostly) stopped throwing off his back foot, I'd say he's a great quarterback.

re: Coughlin - He just doesn't deal with the players correctly imo. Morale is iffy at best (look at the preseason articles, lots of unhappiness) and he lets the Giants give up on games that they should easily win (See losses to Redskins, Seahawks, Eagles, Redskins). I don't like barely squeaking into the playoffs.

But I'm surprised the Giants are in the playoffs with all of our injuries this year. I just found out over the weekend that we have 5 cornerbacks on IR. 5!!! That and Jacobs, Bradshaw, Nicks, Manningham, Tuck, Umenyiora, and half of our offensive line were injured as well....good lord we need a break haha.

Unhappiness, smappiness. Being a fan of a team that hasn't been to the playoffs in over a decade, I have little sympathy.

Giants are peaking at the right time. They'll be fine.

I feel your pain, Putin. I grew up in Buffalo as a Bills fan, and now live near Detroit and share allegiances between Bills and Lions.

Sanchez experiment is done, get rid of him

Harbaugh is clearly coach of the year. The argument that their turnaround is a function of playing in a weak division is bullshit., The NFC West had a better overall record than the NFC East, and the 49ers went 8 -2 outside of their division, including 3 -1 against the NFC East and 3 -1 against the AFC North, which has three playoff teams.

Newton is clearly the offensive rookie of the year. He will be a superstar in this league -- better arm than Vick and he is also probably 6 inches and 50 pounds bigger which should make him more durable/effective.

Aldon Smith is probably the defensive rookie of the year, but it will be a close race between him and Von Miller.

Who do you guys think should be MVP and defensive player of the year?

Rodgers will be the MVP, I'd rather see Brees, though. Defensive player will be Jarred Allen I hope.

Giants were picked last in the NFC by many, and had major changes at o-line and injuries everywhere. 49ers have been hyped as the beast of the NFC West for years now. Finally they lived up to their potential. I know Harbaugh will win as I said, I have no problem with him winning, I just think Coughlin did more with less and the fact that he gets so little credit annoys me.

And sorry but playing the Rams and Cardinals twice isn't on par with playing the Eagles and Cowboys twice. Giants had to play the AFC East whose lack of playoff teams is more a function of hard scheduling than the AFC North being full of better teams (they played the NFC West and AFC South this year).

Both the AFC East and NFC East were full of streaky teams too, so it's hard to say, "They played the Bills, Redskins, and Dolphins who really sucked" because IIRC they played the Bills (and won) when Buffalo was still holding it down in the early going.

Jason Pierre-Paul would be an excellent contender for Defensive Player of the Year. A couple of 'Skins and 49'ers have had great years too.

"The argument that their turnaround is a function of playing in a weak division is bullshit."

Yep!

Plus, playoff teams San Fran defeated:

-Giants
-Lions
-Steelers
-Bengals

And we were tied 6-6 with the Ravens after 3 quarters on Thanksgiving and only lost 16-6.

THAT is pretty damn good for a team that was 6-10 last year and, with mostly the same pieces under Nolan and Singletary, would NEVER have beaten such teams...wins like those are the difference right there in the record...that's a 4-win swing, instead of 6-10, it's already 10-6...and then maybe 13-3 is a BIT due to our conference, but still, 10-6 a playoff team and often a division winner, so this was no fluke of the schedule.

Back to the original thread.

Rogers is not overrated. The packers receiving core is not the best in the league. (Jennings hurt, Driver is old, Nelson drops passes and fumbles, Finley can be a primadonna...) (see Patriots, Saints, Steelers for teams with better receiver cores) The Pack's O-line hasn't been that great, (see Kansas City game, most of the Pack's super bowl year last year). Rodgers and Flynn both have to scramble, alot..

The thing Green Bay has going for them is they are just about the best QB training facility in the world. Their system gives players like Brent Farve a kick in the ass on their way the door because they have an Aaron Rodgers sitting on the bench. Then when Rodgers has to sit out, this guy Flynn comes in.

Flynn has looked better than your average NFL QB (if not downright brilliant) in every game he's played in.

If Flynn wants to go play as the starter for another team, GB could get some nice picks for the deal. Heck they could even trade Flynn to the Broncos for Tebow and a pick or something and give the guy some real training as a QB.. (not that GB would get the good end of that deal or that Tebow would be a good fit at GB).

Here's another thought..
As the Dolphins for instance (or a broncos team that comes to its senses), would you take Flynn who's sat under the world's best for a few years and shown what he can do in a game as his replacement or an untested Landry Jones or Nick Foles?

Flynn! Though of course you knew I would say that.

Haha! but of course..

So Yellowjacket, have you purchased your Packers stock yet?

Leif:

Most of the Patriots' receiving corps would have issues being a starter anywhere else. Welker is an excellent route runner, which is what that system is built on, but he only becomes a superstar with a QB that memorizes the routes as well as he does, because he has very little else going for him. Deion Branch was a nobody when he wasn't a Pat. Their receiver corps is far, far, far from being the best in the game. But it is the best for them, which is the big difference. Brady has a rhythm with a certain type of player, and that's Welker and Branch (and Gronk and Hernandez if we want to count TE's too).

And Green Bay can't really trade Flynn productively right now, especially not for Tebow or someone, because he's a free agent at the end of the year. You don't sign a free agent then trade him.

I pointed out that a trade for Tebow wouldn't be in GB's favor, and anyways as far as a trade goes, yeah I see now that Flynn is a free agent, so I guess that doesn't work out so well for GB either. Maybe GB will be interested in drafting a new backup QB this year afterall.

And Sacred, I basically agree with you on the system that the Pats run, but to hear the media talk about Brady and the Pats, you'd think they were the best offense in the NFL.

I think that like the Pats, GB has a system that works for them. LB's and Defensive backs that can play TE, RB and FB's that are specialist receivers, and some up and comming talent at WR in Cobb, Jones and Nelson, but those guys wouldn't be as big of stars on another team that didn't have Rodgers or Brees (or flynn?) under center.

Yeah, the best offenses (and defenses and teams in general) have a system that works for them and get guys that fill that system well. If we swapped Drew Brees and Tom Brady with no other changes, I don't think either team would be excellent. Let's throw the Peyton Manning Colts in there too. There's a lot to be said for chemistry in football, and all four of those teams (Green Bay, New England, New Orleans, and Indianapolis) very particularly looked for people that fit their overall concept and not necessarily the "best" players at all positions. Indy stumbled because they didn't pick a back-up that fit their system well, and I don't want to talk shit about Curtis Painter as a player, but it was ludicrous to expect him to be Peyton Manningish.

I have a little faith that the Lions are going to start moving this way too...they have their offensive anchor of Stafford/Johnson and defensive anchor of Suh and now it's just time to find the right pieces to fill out the rest of it. Pettigrew, Young, and Kevin Smith are a good start.