Rivalry Games Highlight Match-ups as Second Half of Season Kicks Off

As Week 10 had an early start with a Thursday night game in Cleveland, the full serving will take place on Sunday. The marquee contest will be played in the evening when the New York Giants face the Eagles for the first time as defending Super Bowl champions, with this one being played in Philadelphia.

A battle for supremacy in the AFC East will take place in New England, as two 5-3 teams (Pats and Bills) face off. What could either be great or disappointing games are the Colts visiting Pittsburgh and Tennessee at Chicago. Continue Reading »

Giants, the Team to Beat, Ring in the New Year

2008 NEW YORK GIANTS PREVIEW

This time, they won’t be able to take anyone by surprise. The entire league will be on the lookout for the Giants, and - if they know what’s good for them – emulate what they did in Super Bowl XLII to defeat the high-flying New England Patriots. Facing the task of replacing a veteran leader two years in a row, Big Blue will look to make Michael Strahan’s absence as inconspicuous as Tike Barber’s.

Playing in the extremely tough NFC East, the regular season will not be a cakewalk, but an overall weaker conference should allow the Giants to qualify for the playoffs easily. Eli Manning made all the doubters swallow their words and pride with a postseason full of magic, while head coach Tom Coughlin reaped the benefits of a championship after being raked over the New York coals. Continue Reading »

Big Blue Looks to Avoid Super Bowl Hangover

With the start of NFL training camps, MuscleSport Mag will bring you a team-by-team breakdown of all 32 clubs vying for the Lombardi Trophy on February 1, 2009 in Tampa Bay. We will start with the NFC East and work our way around the league.

This time, they won’t be able to sneak up on anyone. The Patriots are still shaking their heads that the Giants were able to defeat them in Super Bowl XLII. No one saw that coming, even the Giants themselves.

The team did fine in the post-Tiki Barber era, and will have to become acclimated with losing another steady veteran with the retirement of Michael Strahan. Both may have been controversial, but brought it to the field every Sunday. Strahan will be more difficult to replace than Barber was.

Eli Manning won the respect that he longed for, and may have gained the confidence to put him in the upper echelons of NFL quarterbacks. The offense will be similar to last year’s, the only major difference being tight end Jeremy Shockey’s absence. With the team surviving the stretch run with rookie Kevin Boss, general manager Jerry Reese felt comfortable moving the Pro Bowler to New Orleans in exchange for draft choices. Continue Reading »

America’s Team Should Expect More Games from Pacman

With the start of NFL training camps, MuscleSport Mag will bring you a team-by-team breakdown of all 32 clubs vying for the Lombardi Trophy on February 1, 2009 in Tampa Bay. We will start with the NFC East and work our way around the league.

Coming off a 13-3 season and a division championship, the Dallas Cowboys spent the offseason wondering what could have been following a tough playoff loss in Big D versus the eventual-Super Bowl champion New York Giants. The tears from T.O. may become a familiar sight with the addition of Adam ‘Pacman’ Jones, the much-maligned cornerback late of the Tennessee Titans, who was reinstated by the league following a one-year suspension.

Is he talented? No question, but his off-the-field problems outweigh any good he may do between the white lines. With T.O and ‘don’t call me Pacman’ Jones around, it may be a race to see who could cause more commotion once the hugs and kisses and non-pressure of the preseason ceases. Continue Reading »

Giants Radio Man a Vast Improvement Over Newsman

If the NFL Network had to do it all over again, they probably would have named Bob Papa as their play-by-play man from Day One. The radio voice of the New York Giants is a valid choice and will handle the job with dignity while bringing something to the table. Unfortunately, this comes a year too late and after football fans had to deal with Bryant Gumbel calling games, who’s style was reminiscent of the lead character in “Weekend at Bernie’s.”

While he may have been a decent studio host many years ago on NBC, Gumbel was an odd choice to be in the booth during the fledging network’s first season exclusively covering Thursday night games. His years as a ‘Today’ show host seemed to have taken a lot of his being considered a ’sports’ person away. No matter what color analyst Cris Collinsworth did to attempt to salvage what was being said over the microphones, Gumbel’s inability to even have a deep knowledge of the game reared its ugly head on more than one occasion. If that wasn’t bad enough, his style was so laid back that even his calls of critical touchdowns had the same intensity as when he called for a commercial break. Continue Reading »

Baseball Gets Headlines During Bonds’ HR Chase and Indictment

Love him or loathe him, Barry Bonds garners a lot of attention. Last summer, his pursuit and eventual passing of Henry Aaron’s career home run total brought a sideshow to every San Francisco Giants game, home and away. With the indictment being handed down on November 15, Bonds and baseball were once again the top story with the slugger’s perjury and obstruction of justice charges taking the lead spot in all news outlets that day. Coincidence?

Continue Reading »