Important Pats-Giants note...

[QuiGon]

Re: Important Pats-Giants note.....

Guys, your forgetting something very important. Whether it has playoffs implications for New York or not...why wouldn't they start all of their players? I doubt they would rest them, why? Because obviously they want to be the team to beat the juggernaut. They are going to want to be the team who defeats goliath and ruin their run for perfection, what team would not want to be a part of that?

I would agree with this logic if the Giants were eliminated... they would have an incentive to make a statement on their season. But that won't be the case... as I have been saying since the moment they beat Detroit, the Giants will be locked into the #5 seed in the NFC prior to the Patriots game. So they will have no bye week - in fact they will have a road playoff game the week after. This will lead them to bench and rest their starters.

The Giants aren't going to go all out (in what would probably be a losing effort anyway) when they have nothing to gain and a road playoff game to prepare for the following weekend. And if the Patriots do finish 19-0, history is not going to point the finger at the 16th game of that stretch and say "The only reason the Pats were perfect is because the Giants rested their starters".

 

[FrontSeven]

It looks like the Giants are possibly not going to have anything at stake going into this game.

What about their pride? What about not wanting to get embarrassed and go into the playoffs feeling like losers with no chance?

Unless stated otherwise, the Patriots will be coming to win the game and humiliate their opponent. Would you do about that if you were Tom Coughlin?

 

[FrontSeven]

Re: Important Pats-Giants note.....

The Giants aren't going to go all out (in what would probably be a losing effort anyway) when they have nothing to gain and a road playoff game to prepare for the following weekend.

Do you think the possibility of losing 60-0 going into the playoffs might be a factor? I fail to see how losing in embarrassing fashion gets a team ready to rumble.

 

[FrontSeven]

Re: Important Pats-Giants note.....

In this case, the pressure on the giants will be significant to give the Patriots a full game.

That's what I've been saying. This is the Giants' worst nightmare because of the pressure of going up a 15-0 team and being the last stop on that train ride to 16-0, plus the possibility of a total humiliation right before the playoffs.

Unless Cassell is the announced starter I think the pressure is on the Giants to come with their best game of the season - or of their entire lives.

What is the likelihood of Cassell getting the start just when the team has history within its grasp?

I think the Giants are behind an eight ball. They know the Patriots bury teams by 50 point even when the other teams are playing their starters. This could be the single most depressing ass-kicking of the Giants franchise, and it is on Tom Coughlin not to let that happen. Good luck is what I say.

 

[QuiGon]

Re: Important Pats-Giants note.....

Do you think the possibility of losing 60-0 going into the playoffs might be a factor?

Nope.

I fail to see how losing in embarrassing fashion gets a team ready to rumble.

And how does losing 50-7 with all your starters getting the crap beat out of them help get a team "ready to rumble"?

Fact is it's 99% a losing cause for the Giants no matter what. Better to rest your starters for next week and no one will care how much you lose by than to play your starters, lose anyway, and have a beat up team going into the playoffs.

There isn't a single coach in the NFL - not even Bill Belichick - that would go out out for 60 minutes with a playoff seed locked in and a playoff game the following weekend. Even Brady sat out the 4th quarter last year against the Titans.

 

[QuiGon]

Re: Important Pats-Giants note.....

That's what I've been saying. This is the Giants' worst nightmare because of the pressure of going up a 15-0 team and being the last stop on that train ride to 16-0, plus the possibility of a total humiliation right before the playoffs.

What's worse..? Having your backups get humiliated or your starters get humiliated...? The Giants are actually lucky in that they have a built-in excuse for getting whupped. They can save face by resting their starters.

They will be zero pressure on the Giants to beat the Patriots if they are locked into their playoff seed. Everyone across the league will understand they have a playoff game to prepare for. If 11 teams (with 15 attempts) couldn't beat the Patriots prior to that final game, no one's going to put pressure on the 12th.

 

[VJCPatriot]

That's an interesting point. It all depends on the psychology of the Giants' coaching staff. Personally, I don't care if they lay down or not. In fact it would be more interesting if the Giants took the game seriously and at least tried to contest the first half. I think if they have the starters in for the first half and still end up with a 17 or 20 point deficit at the half, then nobody will blame them if they bring in their backups for the second half.