Rangers Fans: Move on from Game 5

I begin to write this at 6:43 PM ET on the day following the Rangers heartbreaking loss in Game 5 at Madison Square Garden. Since that deflating loss, for the most part, all I have heard are Ranger fans complaining about how poorly they've played and how the season is over.

Stop it.

Get over Game 5. There's nothing you can change about anything that happened in Game 5. Let's move past the poor passing, the extinct power play and Chris Neil's hit on Brian Boyle. Enough. Move on.

While you're at it, quit saying the season is over. If you want to write this team off before they are actually eliminated from the postseason, I don't want you rooting for this team anymore. Go root for the Devils. Seriously, go.

Have you forgotten what took place across the river just a short while ago with my beloved Giants? Throughout the entire season I was asked the same questions every week: "Why do you keep going to games and rooting for that team?" "Why are you wasting your time and effort with that team?" "You can't be serious thinking they're going to win."

That same team I was told to stop rooting for won the goddamn Super Bowl.

Two seasons ago, the Bruins had a 3-0 series lead on the Flyers. Flyers won and went to the Cup Final.

Look, I get it. The Rangers aren't playing their best hockey right now. They haven't scored in five consecutive periods plus 2:42 of overtime. They're on the brink of elimination trailing 3-2 in the Cup quarterfinals. Things look a bit bleak.

You don't stop rooting when you're a fan. If you do, you can't call yourself a fan. There's a reason they put up 109 points in the regular season: they're a good hockey team.

If they lose tomorrow, they lose and I'll be heartbroken. But don't be negative about them now. Have some faith.

Rangers in seven.

One Image Sums Up Current State of Giants and Jets

While I spent my Monday night perusing through Twitter-space like I usually do, I came across the photo above. My first reaction: that was the most fun I've ever had attending a football game (replacing the 12-sack game the Giants had against the Eagles in 2007). My second reaction: this single photo perfectly sums up where each organization is at right now: the Giants....standing tall, victorious, Super Bowl champions. The Jets...weak and desperate.

Eric Smith's last ditch effort to stop Victor Cruz's 99-yard, season-turning touchdown reception, captured in this single frame, serves as a metaphor for the state of desperation for the Jets. How? They just traded for Tim Tebow.

As the Giants continue to reign supreme in the greatest city in the world, the Jets made a P.R. move to steal the tabloids. Today they gave their new backup quarterback a nationally-televised press conference while they their starting quarterback got a conference call that was not allowed to be broadcast live. The Jets just gave Mark Sanchez an extension, yet it's his understudy that gets all the attention. It makes zero sense. Zero.

Sidenote: Jets owner Woody Johnson, head coach Rex Ryan, GM Mike Tannenbaum and Sanchez were not at the Tebow presser. Go get 'em, Timmy!

Perhaps the most criminal thing to come out of this media circus is that Tebow will most likely get more media attention than two-time Super Bowl MVP quarterback Eli Manning, who owns the city and the stadium. I'm sure it doesn't bother Eli based on his on-camera personality, but it sure bothers me and it's going to be forced down my throat so long as Tebow is a Jet.

For at least this coming season, Tebow and the Jets can claim they play in the home of the Super Bowl champions. Your team may have the tabloids, but the real team will have the rings.

Pump The Brakes On The Eli HOF Talk

BREAKING: the New York Giants won the Super Bowl. Alright quick! Everybody! Is Eli Manning a Hall of Fame quarterback?!

Can we stop with this already? We're not even 72 hours removed from him hoisting the Lombardi Trophy (again). Can we just embrace what we just saw and let it soak in? We've become such a rapid-reaction society with the whole digital media and nonstop, around-the-clock sports coverage that this has gotten out of hand.

I've tolerated the Eli HOF talk over the last few days, but I haven't been totally comfortable with it. At the beginning of the season, many Giants fans were ready to throw this guy to the dogs. His 2010 season was pretty ugly. He threw 25 interceptions, granted many of them were not on him. There were a painful amount of drops and tips by his own receivers (no, seriously, there were a lot).

Don't get me wrong, I love Eli Manning. I've always supported him and he's handled himself extraordinarily well in the toughest media market on the planet.

At the start of this past season, a reporter asked him if he was in Tom Brady's class and an "elite" quarterback. I didn't believe he was at the time, but he said he was. He was put in a no-win situation, so what do you expect him to do? I'd rather him say he was than to say he wasn't a good quarterback. He went out and backed up his words with the best season of his career and threw for nearly 5,000 yards and was flawless in the postseason in route to a second Super Bowl MVP.

I posed the question to a few of my Pittsburgh buddies last night about Ben Roethlisberger. I don't remember the whole world immediately saying he was a HOF QB after his second Super Bowl win, but according to them, it was there. One said: "nobody is a HOF'er midcareer. that's like watching half a movie & saying it's picture of the year." I couldn't have said it better myself. I mean, Eli's just turned 31 last month....he's got at least five or six years ahead of him.

In a story released today, Kurt Warner, a HOF in my book, said Eli isn't a HOF'er....yet. He said he needs a few more years like 2011 to be considered, which I can't argue with.

But why is this even a discussion right now? Can we all sit here and enjoy what we just saw? Why is winning a Super Bowl not enough right now? It's a monumental accomplishment that every Giants fan should be embracing and making the most of. Can Eli be a HOF'er? Sure, and I think Sunday's win helps build a very strong foundation. I just think we're all doing ourselves a disservice to the Super Bowl win to already start talking about Canton.

It Feels Like 2007....No Really....It Does

I've read and heard a lot of arguments that the run the New York Giants have had to Super Bowl XLVI mirrored their run in 2007. While I agreed with it, I didn't realize just how much the 2011 Giants remind me of the 2007 Giants:

• The 2007 and 2011 teams both started the season 6-2.
• They both beat every team in the AFC East (albeit, the 2007 team did it in the Super Bowl).
• They both lost a home game late in the season to an undefeated team (each by the score of 38-35).
• They both were swept by a fellow NFC team in the regular season (sorry to be a downer).
• They both played an NFC South team in the Wild Card round (and scored 24 points in each game).
• They both went to the home of the #1 seed in the Divisional Round and won.
• They both went to the home of the #2 seed in the NFC Championship and won on a Lawrence Tynes overtime field goal.
• Oh yeah, they're playing the Patriots again in the Super Bowl.

However, there is one glaring difference between the two teams: the offense.

In that dream season of 2007, the Giants heavily relied on the running game of Brandon Jacobs, Reuben Droughns, Derrick Ward, and the tremendous, late-season emergence of then rookie (and 7th-round Draft choice) Ahmad Bradshaw.

The 2011 Giants running game finished dead last in the regular season in the entire NFL. Which is never the case with this franchise. Never.

Now let's take a look at the passing game....or should I say the Eli-te passing game? Prior to this season, Eli Manning was put in a no-win situation when he was asked if he considers himself an elite quarterback. What did Eli do? He said yes!

Did I agree with him at the time? No, but I loved his confidence. Do I agree with him now? You bet your butt I do.

Manning's 2007 season was nothing to write home about. Remember the four interception game vs Minnesota (3 of which were returned for touchdowns)? Remember the ghastly performance on a Sunday night at home vs Washington with a whopping 34 incompletions? OK I'm sorry...I'll stop. But we have to realize how much Manning has grown and matured in his eight-year career.

Manning's passed a lot of tests this season and now has his team back in the Super Bowl. He threw for nearly 5,000 yards. Think about that. That's never been done in the great history of this Giants franchise. It's amazing!

Manning did this after losing his number one tight end (Kevin Boss) and number two wide receiver (Steve Smith), both who he's played with in the previous four seasons. Oh....and he did this is in a drastically shortened offseason because of that whole lockout thing.

Hakeem Nicks and Mario Manningham improved from their already good form. Jake Ballard has been a great find at tight end. And some undrafted guy that does some salsa dance when he finds paydirt hasn't been to shabby either....what's his name? Oh yeah, Victor Cruuuuuuuuuz!

Manning has answered every question and every critic of his (which there were a few) and passed just about every test this season. The only question I see surrounding Eli now is: "Is he better than Peyton?"

Stop it.