It’s that time of the year, when all of the network analysts make themselves available on conference calls. This year, the topic of the Giants has come up a couple of times on both the NBC call (since they’re doing the game tomorrow night) and the FOX call (with Michael Strahan as a studio personality).
Here are the quotes, starting with Strahan and then moving on:
Strahan on his move from the field to the FOX NFL SUNDAY studio: “I’m having a good time. I’ve had a relationship with a lot of people at FOX Sports for quite some time. It’s no different than going from your mother’s house to moving in with your dad’s family. That is really what my move from the Giants to FOX has been. As far as being an analyst, I don’t have a problem with criticizing anybody. I don’t look at it as a situation where I am uncomfortable with saying what I feel or what I see. That is what this job is all about. I understood that before I got into it. If I was afraid of that I probably just would’ve absolutely retired and been out on a beach someplace.”
Strahan on who the Giants should consider to fill void he left: “If the coaches are smart, with not having a pass rush with myself and Osi (Umenyiora) being there, they’d teach Brandon Jacobs how to pass rush. He’s bigger than the ends anyway. The guy is humongous. One thing that Brandon Jacobs prides himself on is running big. He runs like a big back. He’s the tone-setter for the offense. Usually you look to the offensive line needing to do that but in the Giants case they have the running back going to set the tone as he did against Green Bay with the hit on Charles Woodson.”
Strahan sizes up the Giants this season: “With Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw, it gives the Giants an opportunity to have a running back by committee. At one point, Ward was the leading rusher in the league last year. Then Brandon Jacobs came on after he was injured and then Jacobs had a little injury and Bradshaw came on. They’re going to need that running back by committee to compete. On defense, Mathias Kiwanuka goes back to defensive end, which he hasn’t played for a year. It’s going to be tough to go back and pick up those techniques. They have linebackers who are new to the system and they are going to have to rely on ball control in the NFC where being physical is a trademark, especially in the winter months. The Giants right now have a three-headed back that they are going to need to compete.”
NBC’s Chris Collinsworth on the Giants: “I'm just glad John (Madden) reminded me that the Giants won the Super Bowl because I forgot. All I've been hearing about is the Dallas Cowboys, the New York Jets, the Minnesota Vikings, Jacksonville and San Diego. I just can't remember a time when a Super Bowl champion has sort of gotten less respect going into a season than the New York Giants. They beat the undefeated New England Patriots. They were 18-0. They were playing brilliantly. I thought they were the best team I'd ever seen. So this team's got something going for it."
NBC’s Andrea Kremer on the Giants: “You just get a sense sitting with Eli and Tom Coughlin, they're so geared for this season, but the confidence of winning the Super Bowl definitely has carried over to where they are right now."
Comments (1)
Collinsworth is pretty sharp there.
Usually he's so negative, I can't stand him.
Good luck in traffic tommorrow Tom.