Giants vs. Chargers

Thanks to Cain and his family friend Irv, got to see my first live NFL game yesterday, in the Meadowlands. Irv is a big Giants fan, and he's one of the organizers of a massive (200+) tailgate. Good food, and got to meet the father of William Beatty, a rookie OT from UConn. Irv started jawing away as soon as he learned I was a Dallas fan. At least I didn't bring my DeMarcus Ware jersey. I tried my best to root for the home team, but I definitely caught myself mid-fistpump when Antonio Gates caught a key pass; it's really hard to cheer on a division rival. I've also never liked Eli Manning since the stunt he pulled on draft day, so watching Rivers out-execute Manning in the fourth quarter was sweet. Seats were pretty good but not great, as we were maybe 75 meters away from the endzone where Vincent Jackson scored twice, including the game winner.

- NFL players are really fucking fast. It's not emphasized on TV where you usually can't see anything beyond the flats, but compared to college football these guys make 100 yards look like an Arena Football game.
- Giants surprisingly had issues up front. Eli got flushed out of the pocket repeatedly and the Chargers weren't even blitzing that often. The line gave up 5 sacks including two to Merriman - excellent news for suffering bisexual reality TV stars.
- Chargers run game didn't really figure into the game much at all. LT looked alright, making a sweet leaping catch after a breakdown in protection, but both he and Sproles had the most impact as dump off options and on screen plays.
- Before the game, Irv asked me what the key to a Giants win would be, and my response was "Cover Vincent Jackson." This didn't happen.
- Eli Manning didn't have any deep balls called. He throws a good one, and while Cromartie and Jammer are good in man coverage, I thought this was a mistake. Steve Smith and Mario Manningham combined for 17 targets, catching 14 for 107 yards. The Giants' longest pass play was a 29 yard catch and run by Hakeem Nicks. Hixon handled return duties but had only 1 target - I guess they are sick of his drops, but he's their only legitimate deep threat.
- One wildcat snap to Brandon Jacobs on the Giants final drive went for 8 yards and a first down. With Jacobs and Ahmad Bradshaw, Giants could benefit from more utilization of this package even if neither back is a passing threat.
- Playcalling for both San Diego and New York was fairly uninspired and predictable overall. San Diego gets away with it with talented playmakers and New York gets away with it with line depth, but neither team is in the class of New Orleans or Indianapolis.