December 23, 2025 • 58 mins
Madelyn Burke and Paul Dottino discuss positions of need for the Giants in the offseason, talk about the Giants run defense, and take calls from fans.
0:00 - Holiday week games
10:15 - Positions of need
16:00 - Calls
34:00 - Giants defense
46:40 - More calls
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Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:04):
It's time for a Big Blue Kickoff line. Nobody can
ever tell you that you couldn't do it because you're
on Giants dot Com. Do you know what I saw? You?
York Giant Crime and the Giants Mobile app.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
One touch down.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
We all We're all Tamper.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
Part of the Giants Podcast Network's bunch of crazy dogs
has a hot Welcome into today's episode of Big Blue
Kickoff Live, presented by Cadillac, the official luxury vehicle of
the New York Football Giants. My name is Madeline Burke
alongside Paul Deatino. The phone number here is to A
one nine three nine four five one three, or you
can join us on social media using hashtag Giants Chat.
(00:43):
And archive of this show and our entire podcast networks
is available on the mobile app podcast platforms Everywhere and
Giants dot Com slash podcast And we're coming to you
live from the Giants Podcast Studio presented by Hackensack Meridian Health.
Keep getting better. It's Tuesday, December twenty third. Happy Festivus, Paul.
Speaker 4 (01:02):
Yeah, indeed, although how happy can we be with that
freezing rain, snow, wintery mix that's coming.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
Down right now?
Speaker 3 (01:10):
Sounds like you're already airing your grievances out here, well,
yeah with the weather man.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
Listen.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
For those of you who are not familiar with the
Festivus lore, it is a made up Seinfeld holiday that
I am quite fond of. Frank Costanza, George's father, invented it. Essentially,
you gotta hang an aluminum poll instead of a Christmas tree.
It starts with the airing of grievances and then the
feats of strength. It is the most one of my
(01:37):
favorite episodes of Seinfeld. And it's December twenty third every year.
So our listeners know very well.
Speaker 4 (01:43):
I have never watched Souindfeld and never will. It is
not my program.
Speaker 3 (01:47):
I find tinsel distracting.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
That's okay, this is.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
Why this is why we're educating, right, I'm not. I'm
not excipping. Everyone catches all the popular references, and so
I'm like, you know what listen dots is watching Giants documentary.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
That's it.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
I'm going to tune into a Seinfeld episode every once
in a while and we're gonna celebrate the holiday that
is or isn't.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Yeah, you know it isn't. More like it right now?
Speaker 4 (02:12):
You know it's funny because over the years. You know,
the NFL used to not play on Christmas, and now
the NBA, which had a choke hold on Christmas for
what is it twenty five years years? Even that was
their holiday. Thanksgiving was the NFL. You had the Lions,
you had the Cowboys. Always those two teams always played
(02:35):
a doubleheader on Thanksgiving. That was your NFL.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Holiday, right And when the.
Speaker 4 (02:42):
NBA decided that they were going to say we're gonna,
we're gonna, We're gonna take Christmas.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
Nobody's taking that real estate.
Speaker 4 (02:48):
We want it, you know, because years ago there was
a Chiefs Dolphins game in the early seventies, it was
a playoff game.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
Well, there have been some Sundays that Christmas, right.
Speaker 4 (02:58):
So there have been periodic on Christmas, but the league
never wanted to take over the holiday, right. Well, all
of a sudden a few years ago, after the NBA
had had claim on it for decades, why'd you get
they all decided, let's see, some of these new streaming
partners want some more games, why don't we sell them
(03:21):
Christmas games?
Speaker 1 (03:23):
And of course what happened.
Speaker 4 (03:25):
He put a couple of games on what two three
years ago and it is now to the.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
Point where there's a triple header now on Christmas, right.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
Right there is. But I think it's a smart business decision, Paul,
because when you think about it as a consumer, as
a viewer, as a sports fan, Christmas Day, much like
Thanksgiving days, a day where you're home, you're not at work,
you're home, you're with your family, and you know, you
do the family stuff for a while, and then everyone
kind of gathers around the TV. And if you're not
going to watch the NBA games, or you're not going
to watch Love Actually for the nine hundredth time, maybe
(03:55):
you want to throw on an NFL game and it's
a day in which you've got a captive audio. And
I think working in sports too, I always think it's
one of the greatest things to work on the holidays
because you are being a part of a broadcast that
is getting so much more eyes and so much more
attention because people are home rather than you know, caught
up in the busyness of their lives. They're like, all right,
let me be home with my family and watching these
(04:18):
holiday games, and it's you know, it's it's a treat
because it's it's a whole nother level of prime time,
much like Sunday Night Football or Monday Night Football or
Thursday Night Football. It's just all eyes on the big stage.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Well, I don't mind working on the holiday.
Speaker 4 (04:34):
I'm a work a whole ag anyway, so I just
assume works seven days a week and not take a holiday.
But my thing about it was that's the NBA's day
and the NFL has Thanksgiving. Well you you're an old
time NBA person, so I appreciate this too.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
So now like the Knicks are on, the Knicks play
every Christmas. Yeah at the Garden. Yep.
Speaker 4 (04:55):
Now I'm not lucky enough to have next season tickets.
John has a partial or I think you might have
a full season, So he's probably gone to a bunch
of them.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
Call up Don Sperling get the plus one.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
Yeah, exactly. Well, I know Don goes.
Speaker 3 (05:06):
John goes every Christmas.
Speaker 4 (05:07):
Okay, so now that's a big deal. Christmas Day at
the Garden is a big, big deal.
Speaker 5 (05:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (05:13):
Now, was a Knicks fan. Even though I've never gone,
I will never miss watching the Knicks on Christmas Day.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
At the Garden.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
Fair.
Speaker 4 (05:19):
Everybody in my family knows Nicks are out of twelve thirty.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
I think it is Yeah, that's it. Leave him alone.
Speaker 4 (05:25):
He's watching the Knicks for the next two and a
half hours. Okay, But now, because I am an NFL
guy first, Okay, even though I don't care necessarily about
the teams that are playing, I'm still an NFL guy first.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
I now have to make a decision.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
Now you don't, cause I got I got, I got
news for you, Paul. We got to introduce you to
the multi screen experience. Okay, Paul de Tino, I think, ladies,
gentlemen is ready for the multiest screen exper Yes, you
can still and pick pick your one A and one beat.
You can have on the TV. You can have the
NFL game. You know, say you want to, you know,
your belongs to football. You can have the NFL and football.
(06:03):
But then you can prop up a tablet or a
laptop and stream the Knicks.
Speaker 4 (06:08):
When the Giants are off on a weekend, I sit
in my living room or my dan depends on which
room the wife wants.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
I get the other room.
Speaker 4 (06:18):
The TV gets one game, laptop gets another game, second,
laptop gets another game.
Speaker 1 (06:24):
See and I have three at game not hard days.
When the Giants are not played, there you go so
and you you don't have what the concert.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
Yeah, see, so you're familiar, you could do it and
instead of just three football you go, you know, football, basketball.
Speaker 4 (06:36):
I know, but see, I'm much I'm as passionate about
the Knicks. Almost nothing beats the Giants for me. But
I'm I'm a pretty emotional Knicks fan.
Speaker 3 (06:47):
I can't say I can't. I can't use that surprises nobody.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
I could never watch a split screen Knicks game. No, no,
if the Knicks are on, I'm watching the Knicks.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
Yeah, maybe you avert your eyes in the commercial break
between Marshall breaks.
Speaker 4 (07:00):
I might flip for thirty seconds to check on the
early football And I don't even know what's the early
football game.
Speaker 3 (07:05):
That's fine, you know, because I think I don't even
know which one it is. Yeah, I don't remember.
Speaker 4 (07:09):
Now there were three games, right, Yeah, there's a chickleheader
on Christmas. And by the way, Goodell knew what he
was doing, because I don't know if you were aware, Madeline,
but the NFL Christmas Day ratings have crushed the NBA
since Goodell put those games on.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
Well, yeah, okay, so the early game it's Lions Viking.
Oh no, first, it's Cowboys Commanders at one pm, then
Lions Vikings at four thirty, then Broncos Chiefs. I think, yeah,
Roger Goodell understands that in the United States, the NFL
is the predominant sport, which is why they're not shy
(07:45):
to encroach on Christmas Day. They're not shy to encroach
on NBA All Star Weekend, which in a couple of
years will be now Super Bowl weekend, and you get
President's Day the Monday off after Super Bowl. So congratulations,
football fans have another.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
I get it. And for Roger it.
Speaker 4 (08:03):
Was a chance to just expand the revenue stream because
I believe all three of the Christmas Day games of
stream games right.
Speaker 3 (08:11):
Uh yeah, they're all available. They're all on Netflix or
two on Netflix, and the third, the night game, is
on Prime Video.
Speaker 4 (08:16):
Right, so they're not even Bronco's chiefs on Prime video
with no Patrick Mahomes.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
Yeah right, that's going to be a tough oney and
Minshews too.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
Yeah, Al Michaels is going to have a day. I
respect it.
Speaker 4 (08:30):
So, but I guess what I'm saying is Adam Silver
just came out the NBA Commissioner. For those of you
who don't know, Silver just came out. Did you see
the number that he gave to the media. I think
it was yesterday that NBA viewership on the whole is up?
Speaker 3 (08:47):
Is Up?
Speaker 1 (08:47):
Was it forty or something?
Speaker 3 (08:49):
So that last year that would make sense too, because
the NBA has had a change in broadcast partnership, you know,
the NBA on NBC bringing back a lot of the nostalgia,
the NBA on Prime. They're doing a great job.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
And I think John is great.
Speaker 3 (09:01):
By the way, how did we not love that bad basketball?
But I think a lot of sports fans and basketball fans,
you know who maybe weren't tuning into early season basketball games.
We're tuning in to see, Okay, what are they going
to do? What's this broadcast going to look like? What
is this Mogan Jordan interview going to sound like? What
is this going to be? And then you get in
and you get hooked and you're like, okay, yeah, you
(09:23):
know what, I'm I'm on the bandwagon again. I'm and
I've built the habit. I've built this into my routine
of watching it and tuning into you know, one of
these broadcast partners and I sat in the.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
NBA Cup has had something to do with that a
little bit maybe, and exactly the Surgeon to the Knicks. Yeah,
go Bockers, baby, there you go, Resurgeon to the Knicks.
That's been a big deal. The league loves it when
the Knicks are good.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
The league loves it when the Knicks are good.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
Lakers are good too. They like both tames.
Speaker 3 (09:52):
But anyway, Lebron James did say that he would rather
be home with his family than playing on Christmas, which
I think is a sign that we're getting near the
end times for Lebron and this man has been in
the league for twenty three years, for longer than some
of these rookies have been alive, so it's getting to
be that point. But anyways, we digress because this is
Big Blue Kickoff Live and we are here to talk
(10:12):
about the Giants. But you know what, we're sports fans
the core of it, and I'm sure all of you
listening are as well. Giants though, two more games, penultimate
game of the season at the Raiders this weekend. Yes,
how are you listen? You know, Dots, you gave me
a great idea, or you had a great idea earlier,
you said listen. With Christmas this week we should give
(10:34):
the Giants a Christmas gift on the field, right, what
would what position? What position would you gift the Giants?
And now here's a question, is it for the remainder
of this season or for the foreseeable future.
Speaker 4 (10:48):
If you could give them a gift wrapped position right
now and say this is yours, take it as long
as you want. It doesn't have to be for the
next two weeks. It can last into next too.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
It's a gift. When you give a gift to somebody,
doesn't just disappear in two weeks.
Speaker 3 (11:04):
That's true. That's true.
Speaker 4 (11:05):
They get to keep it as long as they want
to have it, or until.
Speaker 1 (11:08):
It breaks, right.
Speaker 4 (11:09):
Yeah, So you know, I look at it, and I
think we all understand we've already kind of started thinking
a little bit about the draft, not a lot, but
a little bit in my case. And I think, to
be honest with you, I would absolutely love big play receiver.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
I would love a cover corner.
Speaker 4 (11:30):
I would love a stud defensive lineman. But I think
since I can only have one to give to the Giants,
I would box a defensive lineman. Yeah, an absolute stud
defensive lineman. Because I'm going to be of the opinion
that Neighbors will come back and be the superstar that
(11:52):
he is. Yeah, I'm of the hope that Cordel Flott
does re sign with the Giants. He's had a really
good season and that pulse on the debo returns to
be in the a debo he was with the Saints
before the Giants signed him. He's had a very rough year.
Injuries were a part of.
Speaker 3 (12:09):
Him, big part of it. He was out for several
games with count on a rebound. Yeah. Well, and I
think too, you know, you've got flawed a devo. You've
got some strength at corner, but you need depth there
because the drop off from one to two is significant.
Speaker 4 (12:24):
Right now, the defensive line is not getting it done
against the run, no matter who the coordinator is. The
Giants are not stuffing people at the line of scrimmage
as well as they have to, and they're not keeping
Bobby o'karrike clean enough to be the linebacker that he
is supposed to be.
Speaker 3 (12:40):
I think also too, you know, you've got to consider
you know, you think about the injuries that have plagued
the Giants this season, and the big ones that stand
out are Malik Neighbors and Camp Scataboo of course, and
you know Neighbors will come back next season. You've got
that big play wide receiver Scatt will come back next season.
You've got another forcible presence run game. And but before
(13:03):
either of those went down, the Giants suffered a significant
injury that I think we forget Micah McFadden. Micah McFadden
is a big part of the way that that defense functions.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
I'm counting on him coming back.
Speaker 3 (13:16):
I am as well, But I think when you look
at the way that this defense has functioned for the
majority of this season without him, I think that absence
has played a big part in you know, everyone else's
kind of shortcomings for lack of a better word, to
some degree to agree too. So I think when when
you look at next season in a reset and everyone
kind of healed and healthy and ready to go, this
(13:39):
is a very different unit.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
But I hope, so, I hope so we all do?
Speaker 3 (13:42):
We all do? I I might, I might, And I
mean this with a lot of love and respect for
the the players who have come in and played this position.
But I would gift the Giants a kicker, okay, that
they can count on, and I you know, a lot
of respect for Ben Saale, by the way, the rookie
left footed kicker who came in and made his debut
(14:05):
last week. They got hyped up. They had to kick
this special teams getting the intros before the game against
the Vikings. You know, Sauls made his kicks. The opening
kickoff didn't land in bounds, but after that he found
his rhythm and he found his sea legs. But the
kicking game in the NFL is one of those positions
that if you're doing your job well, nobody cares. If
(14:26):
you're not doing your job well, suddenly it's a big
and that's a hard that's a hard cross to bear, right.
You know, if you're perfect in everything you do, then
nobody's even thinking about you. And that's the goal for
a kicker. And I think the Giants over the last
couple of years have had so many issues, whether it
be injuries or inconsistencies at that position. I would love
(14:47):
to give the Giants a kicker that they don't have
to think about that they know, all right, yeah, we're
in this range, we're gonna put him in and we're
going to trust that it's going to go through the uprights.
Speaker 4 (14:56):
Gano was that guy until he started to get hurt.
Speaker 3 (14:58):
But you know what that happens when you're on the
back nine, you know, And I think no had an
incredible long career and every career and is an incredible
player at its best. But once he gets to a
certain point in you know, you get a lot of
wear and tear on the leg, and then the injuries
start adding up. Then it's time to say, Okay, maybe
we turn the page. And so I think there are
(15:20):
a lot of guys who have had success and talent
at that position, and who knows, Ben sALS could grow
into that. I mean, I would love to see a
better call Saul's back page on the New York Post.
I mean, let's go.
Speaker 4 (15:33):
Look, the kicker is directly related to points because every
play he plays outside of a kickoff, pat or field goal, Yeah,
it's points.
Speaker 3 (15:44):
It's points. That's why oftentimes I would.
Speaker 4 (15:46):
Not dispute you at all on Yeah, I think that's
a very fair guy to want to give them.
Speaker 3 (15:52):
I would love to bequeath that gift for the holiday
season and henceforth to a one nine three five one
three is the phone number. Giants fans, make sure you
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(16:15):
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two A one nine three nine four five one three.
Let's head to the phone lines this holiday season. We've
got David in North Carolina calling in. David, Welcome to
the show. You're on Big Blue Kickoff Live with Dodson Madeline.
Speaker 6 (16:37):
Either early Merry Christmas, Dave both your dream to you.
I haven't had a chance to call in in a while,
and I just saw Paul was hosting. So I'm trying
to put things in perspective. And I know how long
Paul has been a fan, and obviously at the end
(17:00):
were some tough years there after the great fifties teams, The.
Speaker 1 (17:07):
Yell Bowl comes to mind, and so I, yeah.
Speaker 6 (17:13):
I kind of grew up at the tail end of
the or came into my fandom tail end of the
parcels there. I was, I was really young, uh ten
eleven years old, so my my teenage years, prime years
of you know, playing football were you know, trying to
fill that gap after Sims and so it was definitely
(17:35):
you know, some some difficult years there, but as a
Giants fan, there was always a certain level of respectability
and also a realization of, you know, it might take
a while to find that franchise quarterback because we're just
not that high up in the draft that often. And
(17:58):
then you know, obviously I don't want to take up
too much time. But we were able to kind of
have a transformation project there with and revitalized Kerry Collins' career,
and that was a that was a great success story there.
But you know, we just, uh it was odd first
to be high up in the draft, and it almost
took a perfect scenario the year that we were able
(18:22):
to be that high up in the draft for Eli.
You know, you think about that year Fossil had everything
go wrong with you know, multiple multiple injuries that that
team was just very, very injury riddled, and I'm just
you know, I hate to have this kind of a
calm this close to Christmas, but I just I never
(18:45):
thought I would see the Giants with John Marra at
the Helm just be I hate to say it, it's
just bad for so long. It's just it just it
just kind of blows my mind.
Speaker 7 (19:00):
And I know people want to pick at, you know,
nepotism and family, and I come back and say, well,
you know, if you had a successful family business, would
you not want to have your family involved and be
a part of the business and grow up in the business.
Speaker 6 (19:15):
So I although that's a tough dynamic, I've never I've
never held that to guess mister Merra. And I obviously
know mister Meryra wants to win. I have no doubts
about that, and I know he's going to do everything
in his power to win. And I appreciate that as
a Giants fan, and I appreciate mister Marra having those
(19:37):
standards to be willing to spend money and try his
best to put a respectable product on the field. But
I will say I was really really dishearted with the
past couple of press conferences. I thought the Mike cap
the latest press conference just really.
Speaker 7 (19:58):
I don't know.
Speaker 6 (19:58):
Maybe it's just my opinion. Really hurt the standard for
this organization. I know Mike's involved in the offense, but
I thought it was glaring when he was asked the
question this week about some things on the defensive side
of the ball, and he openly admitted that he didn't
really have a chance to view it or see it
and be a part of it. And he would have to,
you know, go back and look at the tape. And
(20:19):
I just listen, I get it.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
I know he's an.
Speaker 6 (20:22):
Offensive coordinator and now he's the head coach, and obviously
there's been a ton of coach offensive grounded or calling plays.
But to just come out and say, hey, you know what,
I didn't see it. I was too busy over here
with the offense. Boy, I thought that was a bad
look for the organization and just as a head coach
(20:43):
in general. And then the last thing with the Joe
Shane press conference, you know, one thing I took away
from that is, you know, he talked about not repeating mistakes,
and I think about the kicking situation where the kicking
position is, oh, you can't keep an extra kicker, right,
(21:03):
It's just not in the cards, and so once something
happens with Graham Gono, you know, probably the second time,
you probably have to say to yourself, Hey, you know what,
this guy's a great guy, great kicker when he's healthy,
but if there's any any risk whatsoever, hamstring anything, I
can't take a chance on this guy costing us a
game again. And it continued to happen. And then the
(21:25):
other thing I'll point out that this front office continued
to not learn from their mistakes was the johnsh Azulu experiment.
I mean, I don't think you could find anybody around
the league that thought josh Azudu could play left tackle,
and this organization continued to try to press that forward
and press that forward and not really have a viable backup.
(21:48):
And I know backup left tackles are hard to find,
but to let someone like Andrew Thomas just wreck the
team when he goes down, it's just it's almost inexcusable
that you let one play or just totally destroy the
offense and destroy that side of the ball if he
gets hurt. And so that's just a couple of things
I bring up as we approach here at the end
(22:08):
of the year of some of my disappointment on how
this proud organization has I don't know what's happened. Something's
happened and it's sad and I don't like it. But
I'll let you guys comment on some of those thoughts.
And I appreciate you what you do.
Speaker 2 (22:23):
And Merry Christmas.
Speaker 3 (22:24):
Thank you so much, David. Thanks for the call. David
getting us started on Festivs with the airing of grievances,
and I get it, you.
Speaker 1 (22:30):
Know, all right.
Speaker 4 (22:33):
I think there are two points that he made that
I would like to clarify, and maybe if I can
give you a little more information, you may feel a
little differently about them. I've talked to people about the
whole Graham Gano thing. Now this is the thirty in
a row. He has suffered an injury, yep, and it's
forced the Giants to juggle the roster and have to.
Speaker 1 (22:49):
Deal with multiple kickers. So here was the issue.
Speaker 4 (22:55):
Please, as I always say, instead of being twenty twenty
hindsight or on Monday quarterback, what I asked you to
do was go into your time machine, push the button
back to the offseason and understand that given the situation
that the Giants had, Joe Shane's idea was, we think
the team is going to be competitive. We think we've
(23:17):
got a chance to actually be a whole lot better
this year, and we're going to.
Speaker 1 (23:20):
Be in a lot of games. Turned out he was right,
they were in a lot of games. He was right
about that.
Speaker 8 (23:26):
Yep.
Speaker 4 (23:28):
He thought that a field goal kicker could mean the
difference in at least two or three wins, maybe more
because they would be involved in a lot of close
games and he wanted to give Brian Dable and this
team every chance possible to win as many games as
they could. He did not want to take a chance
(23:49):
on Jude Mcatamney, who is a young, inexperienced one year
plus practice squad player okay.
Speaker 3 (23:56):
And who also had the international exception for to keep
him on the roster. So it wasn't as bunch of
a you know, it wasn't a burden a kick to
keep my roster because you have an international player exception
to it doesn't count on that. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (24:07):
So knowing that Mcatamney through all his time here was
rather inconsistent on his field goals at practice and camp.
Speaker 3 (24:16):
And everything, but they saw enough in him that they
thought it was worth developing him right on the practice.
Speaker 4 (24:21):
But he was not ready to kick this year, at
least that was not the thought during the offseason.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
So what Joe did.
Speaker 4 (24:27):
He decided, well, let's see, we've got money invested in
Gano because his contract still has another two years left
this year and next year. So if we cut him,
we're going to take a couple of million dollar plus
salary cap hit. Which the Giants were really aggressive in
free agency this year. They signed like fourteen free agents
(24:48):
because they really went after it thinking they could be
a competitive team this season. They didn't have the money
to burn under the salary cap to cut Gano.
Speaker 1 (24:58):
That's one from a business.
Speaker 4 (25:01):
Number two, they wanted to give Dable a reliable veteran
kicker who, by the way, Ganeau's track record is amongst
the best in the league when available.
Speaker 1 (25:13):
I get it.
Speaker 4 (25:13):
The asterisk went available, I get that. But he was
healthy all off season, did all the training he was
supposed to do, checked in with the training staff, the
strength and conditioning staff. They said, hey, he's good to go.
He's in great shape, he looks terrific. He's kicking wonderfully.
In the spring and in the summer. We got no
problems with him. Yeah, if you're asking for a red
(25:36):
flag injury wise, looks like he's good.
Speaker 1 (25:39):
So that's two boxes that he's checked at that point.
The third box is this.
Speaker 4 (25:46):
If you want to still make a move after Ganeau
checks both of those boxes, Now you got to tell
me which kicker out there is on the street and
has a very reliable track record and is going to
be the guy who was going to be at least
as good as Gano that if you get rid of him.
You got to look at Brian Davil in the eye
(26:08):
and say, Brian, you know what, I'm worried about Gano's age.
Speaker 1 (26:11):
I'm worried about his injury.
Speaker 4 (26:13):
I'm gonna bite the salary cap hit and I'm going
to give you this veteran kicker instead. That's a pretty hard.
Speaker 1 (26:22):
Thing to do, but it's the job.
Speaker 4 (26:26):
It's a job that requires a decision to make and
I don't think and I invite anybody out there go
back to the transaction wires.
Speaker 1 (26:36):
Behind over that course the summer and tell me which
veteran kicker who.
Speaker 4 (26:42):
Had an outstanding track record at least close to being Graham.
Gano's track record would have been the guy that you
wanted to bring in here and give your head coach.
I defy anybody to give me that player.
Speaker 3 (26:57):
Yeah, because there's not hindsight is twenty twenty and it's
always one of those things that when you look back,
you think, Okay, it could have done it this way,
should have done it that way, which we did it
this way. But you do the best he can with
the information you know in the moment, and that's all
that we can ask of these people. That's right, and
that's you know.
Speaker 4 (27:12):
And the risk, the risk of the injury, based on
the information they had, the risk of any kind of
injury was lower than the risk of taking a substandard,
healthy kicker and throwing him onto the head coach and saying,
you know what, you.
Speaker 1 (27:27):
Got to try to win games this year with this guy.
That's that's not a smart option.
Speaker 4 (27:34):
So I hate to disagree with you, but the Ganol thing,
that's a hindsight comment.
Speaker 1 (27:40):
As far as I'm concerned, Joe did what he had
to do.
Speaker 4 (27:44):
He weighed the scale and he made the right decision.
It didn't work out, but it was a logical decision
at the time that he made it. Because anybody who
argues that point, anyone has yet to give me the
appropriate that they would have brought in. Now one person
has come to me and said, well, they should have
(28:04):
got rid of Gano and this is the guy they
should have signed.
Speaker 1 (28:08):
Nobody has a name for me. So guess what.
Speaker 4 (28:12):
You're all on the wrong side of the fence, because
unless you had the answer, you lose.
Speaker 1 (28:17):
It's that simple. Now. The second item, Joshua is Zudu.
Speaker 4 (28:23):
I know an independent draft guy who consulted with North
Carolina and who actually scouted a Zudu to give him
and his family advice on what he should do, whether
he should come out early in the draft or not.
The North Carolina people and a Zudu were told, if
you stay your full years in college, he had one
more year of eligibility. You, with your athleticism and your talent,
(28:47):
you will likely be a second round draft pick. That's
the advice he was given. He'll be a second round
and that's not from the Giants. That's from independent draft
people who consult with players and college teams. You would
be a second round draft pick because of your talent
and your athleticism and ability. Giants wound up taking him
(29:08):
in the third round. As you know, because he came
out a year early.
Speaker 1 (29:11):
He decided they needed to do it. There were two reasons.
Speaker 4 (29:15):
One he wanted the chance to go pro take care
of his family. The other thing was at North Carolina
they were so desperate for offensive linemen. They were so
thin on the line that week to week and sometimes
even within a game, he would flop positions. So what
was he He was a versatile guy who could play
(29:38):
everywhere on the line, but a master of none.
Speaker 1 (29:42):
They hurt his development.
Speaker 3 (29:44):
But also the versatility is the thing that the Giants
liked about and when they drafted him, and that is
the thing that they pointed to when they said that, oh,
we like what he is able to do in that versatility.
So I think this has kind of taken that hindsight
and rebranding it. It was viewed as a positive.
Speaker 4 (30:02):
It was viewed as a positive because when they drafted him,
what they were hoping for that as a rookie he
could plug in anywhere on the line using that versatility,
but that eventually, eventually he was supposed to then compete
for a starting job in year two. The problem was
his development was hindered so badly by having to move
(30:22):
around everywhere, that he never became a master of any position.
Speaker 3 (30:27):
Yeah, that's not what rookie he was.
Speaker 4 (30:30):
But it became a curse. It actually hurt him long term.
It hurt his career.
Speaker 1 (30:35):
To be that versatile.
Speaker 4 (30:37):
It helped him stay in the league, but it hurt
his chances of developing and becoming the starter that he
might have otherwise been had he stayed.
Speaker 1 (30:46):
Now.
Speaker 4 (30:47):
He was told, or at least he was told by
the North Carolina people, we really would love to see
you back and finish your time here. But then the
problem was he looked at that offensive line and he
realized they we're not going to let him develop at
one spot. They were going to keep bouncing them around
again and again. Folks, there's two levels of value here.
(31:09):
Versatility may value you enough to stay in the league,
but it does not allow you to master any one
position where you can be a rock solid.
Speaker 1 (31:18):
Starter for somebody. Well, it's all levels, two levels.
Speaker 3 (31:22):
As a player, you come into the league and you
develop in the area in which you are asked to develop.
You evolve and grow in the role in which you
were asked to do so.
Speaker 1 (31:32):
And the Giants had to need a tackle and that's
why they put him out there.
Speaker 3 (31:35):
But they also used him at guard and all that
kind of stuff. They they did the exactly. So when
you talk about how he looked at the North Carolina
and said, you know, the Giants drafted him with the
thought of, Okay, your versatility is a plus, and we're
going to develop you at versatile positions and play you
across the line because that is something that we see
that you're good at. And so it's not a knock
(31:55):
on Joshua Zudu that he has come in and done
you know, Okay, this is what I was asked of
me or any which.
Speaker 1 (32:01):
No knock on him. It's it's great. It's unselfish of
him to do what he had to do. Yeah, and
it's like the team and it did hurt at his
own career.
Speaker 3 (32:09):
Sure, but as a fan, I think people can look
at it and say, oh, this, that or the other thing.
But it's like, you got to also separate what a
player does and also what they're asked to do versus oh,
what you want them to do, Well, that's not what
the team is asking of them, and so that's that's
an important thing.
Speaker 4 (32:25):
He did what North Carolina wanted him to do. For
the good of the team, and he's doing for what
the Giants want him to do for the good of
the team. It was never for the good of him.
He was never selfish about it. But what has happened.
He's now in a position where he's kind of positionless.
He is still nothing but a versatile backup. And that's
(32:45):
a shame because if he had at some point been
allowed to develop at the position that he would have
been best at, well, then maybe, just maybe we'd be
looking at him as a potential answer in twenty six
if they lose a Van.
Speaker 1 (33:01):
Roton or if they lose an Illuminar.
Speaker 4 (33:03):
Now, thank goodness they got Marcus Boy because Bo can
be the illumin Or successor if illumin Or leaves via
free agency. But if Van Roten retires, does anybody out
there feel that a Zudu has done enough at guard
that he can be that guy? Probably not, and I
wouldn't blame you one bit, But I hope the full
information on both of those points makes you a little
(33:26):
bit more willing to understand the different perspectives rather than
where exactly the angle you were coming from.
Speaker 3 (33:34):
Absolutely special Olympics New Jersey's annual Snowbull is heading to
Rutgers Football Stadium in twenty twenty six. This annual flag
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through eighth, twenty twenty six. The six on six tournament
will feature competitive, recreational and co ed divisions, and all
proceeds benefit thousands of Special Olympics New Jersey athletes across
the Garden State. Register your team today at njsnowbull dot org.
(33:57):
That's njsnowbull dot org. To one three, let's go back
to the phone lines. Coach Marvin in Delaware, Welcome to
the show you're on with Tatino and Madeline.
Speaker 9 (34:08):
Merry Christmas, Madeline and Paul Mary Christmas. Yeah, what I
was calling, I was just watching the game this morning
from this past Sunday, and the rip question I'd like
you guys that probably answer is what type of team
do you think we are right now? Because I can't
(34:29):
put a.
Speaker 5 (34:30):
Can't have a specific player. You can't say we throw
the ball, run the ball, play great defense. Is there
any part of the team you can identify with this team?
Speaker 1 (34:43):
Coach?
Speaker 4 (34:46):
The team is as unclutch as they came. That's about
the only thing I'm identifying with them right now. This
is the season of unclutch. Whenever they need to make
a play, they really need it.
Speaker 1 (34:59):
It's a gotta have it, they don't have it. That's
what I identified twenty twenty five with.
Speaker 5 (35:06):
Yeah, yeah, and and I was listening in the car
banks and I was listening in the tiki Sunday, and
I think people need I think the organization needs to
listen to those two guys because they actually are being
honest about what's being what's going on. I watched it
(35:26):
this morning, Capta to me, I looked at it. I
thought it was a pretty good game plan. Every time
they lined up with what eight in the box, you
could run the ball. They could run the ball, or
but they could they could run the ball. But I
thought they didn't do a good job in play calling.
Speaker 2 (35:48):
I thought that they.
Speaker 5 (35:49):
Should have did a little more play action when under
the center rather than in the shotgun. And so it
wouldn't matter what they were going to do when they
were had eight in the box, because if you're gonna
run the ball, you could see they was gashing them.
And then once you start gashing them, what they're gonna do.
They're gonna they're gonna bring that extra guy again trying
(36:11):
to stop the run, and that's when you can hit
him with a little more play action, and they didn't
do that. I thought they should have done that. So
I didn't have a problem with the game plan, but
I had a problem with the play calling of.
Speaker 8 (36:24):
That game plan.
Speaker 5 (36:27):
The other the other thing I was thinking Banks coming
out of college, Banks was a lot of people wanted Banks,
and I was probably one cheering that on and Banks
didn't have a bad.
Speaker 2 (36:41):
Rookie year.
Speaker 5 (36:42):
But something has happened, and I don't know what it is.
But sometimes your body language can tell a lot to me.
Speaking for me, body language tells me a lot. Because
the team itself, they have problems setting the edge defensively,
(37:04):
they have problems with angles because that's very important in football,
angles which leads to leverage, and they they're lost in that. Also,
there were some plays guys that they had third and thirteen,
third and sixteen, and guys just their angles was just bad.
(37:26):
And I don't know if the coaches, and I would
I would assume these guys are some of the smartest
people in the world that's teaching football, and that can
the guys comprehend what's teaching or the people that's teaching
them can't make it simple enough for them to understand.
Either one of those is bad, and so I think
(37:49):
that's what we're going to have to fix. There is
some things there that I see abdual Carter, the interim
defensive coordinator, moving them around, is it somehow has energized
them a little more. And I like that. Brian Burns
is Brian Burns and sometimes they have their moments that
the defense plays well. I'm not going to crush them
(38:11):
totally because I feel they You said it earlier, Paul,
they have been competing. If you look at those games,
they had chances to win those games, and that's competing.
And the other part I say, once you can compete,
then I have to teach you how to win win
games that you should win. And once you start winning
(38:34):
those games that you should win, then the next level
you had to get to how to become a winner,
not just win, but how to be a winner. And
sometimes that takes the coaching to get you over that
next pump, to put you in the right position and
then the right call to be successful to be a winner.
And I think we're missing that and I think we
(38:56):
need the coaching. I don't know what they're going to
do there. It goes back to what you said, Paul,
when you were talking about the kicker. You can point
out all the problems you want and you call it,
you call it. You're telling me that. But when you
tell me that, give me somebody else that who you're
talking about that can be in that spot. When you
were talking about the kicker, who was the other kicker
(39:18):
that you're gonna that they were going to put in
that spot.
Speaker 3 (39:21):
Well, that's the same point that Paul just made too,
is that, uh, you know, there's not there's not an
obvious choice. Although there are probably a lot of kickers
that you know, young guys coming out of college, or
there are guys that you know, maybe not top of
mind now that you could have given an opportunity too,
that could have earned their spot. I mean, who would
have seen cam Little becoming the kicker that he is
in Jacksonville, right, I Mean, there's a lot of people
(39:42):
that haven't had the chance yet to earn those stripes yet,
some names that we maybe not don't know yet because
they haven't had their opportunity yet more.
Speaker 4 (39:48):
Georgie would always laugh and I love, I love. I
learned so much from George. I love being around them.
Speaker 3 (39:54):
George used to go and Marvin, thank you so much
for the call. We got a lot of callers to
get to happy holidays.
Speaker 1 (39:59):
This is abandoned person nation. But George would say, you
know what, before before you told me that I gotta
make a change, and you asked me a question about
making a change, you better have the answer to the question.
And he was right. He was right.
Speaker 4 (40:14):
If you're insisting that what this this is is bad,
well come on, fuck it over.
Speaker 1 (40:22):
Give me the answer, then what's better?
Speaker 4 (40:24):
I mean, too many people ask and complain and don't
give you an answer.
Speaker 3 (40:29):
That's fair, that's fair. Speaking of impersonations, we've got a
YouTube comment that gave me the giggles over here. Peter
Ward says, every time poly Dots cracks his drink open,
I'm reminded of the movie Major League, when Bob Bucker
was cracking budweise Er something calling.
Speaker 1 (40:43):
The game Ucker yeah, must be yes.
Speaker 3 (40:48):
Exactly so good that one gave me a little chuckle there.
All right, Giants fans, you can take your fana to
the next level with the Giant season ticket membership. Catch
all the action at MetLife Stadium with an exciting home
schedule on the horizon, and with the membership, you'll also
stay connected to the club all year round, not just
on game days, with exclusive member access and benefits. To
(41:09):
learn more about a New York Giants season ticket membership,
visit Giants dot com slash ticket two A one nine
three nine four five one three. Back to the phones
we go, Rob in Connecticut. Rob, Welcome to the show.
You're on Big Blue Kickoff Live with Paul and Madeline.
Speaker 8 (41:24):
Hey, Madeline dot how's it going? That's nice Christmas Eve Eve?
Speaker 3 (41:28):
And nice Christmas Eve Eve to you too?
Speaker 8 (41:32):
Nice, well, terrific. Anyway, two things real quick. I want
to know what your opinion is on what I thought
was a debacle of a broadcast with Jonathan Bilma, who
is like resetting this Jackson dark narrative? Which is that one?
Which is my next point. I think his performance on
Sunday and actually the last couple of times it's been abominable.
(41:54):
What's your opinion on that?
Speaker 2 (41:55):
Well?
Speaker 3 (41:55):
I would say, you know, it's hard to judge the
performance of him when the play calling was so much
run centric.
Speaker 1 (42:04):
Is he asking about Vilma was he asking about Dark.
Speaker 8 (42:07):
I think he's Vilma, yes, because I think Vilma is
like reducing Jackson Dark to like a pre season rookie
free agent starter. I mean, it makes them sound like, uh,
you know, he makes them sound terrible. Actually, it makes
them sound like bush league quarterback. So that's my takeaway
on that anyway, and I wanted your opinion on that.
Speaker 3 (42:29):
That's interesting. I can't comment on Vilma's play calling because
we were at the game, so not watching the TV
copy there. But I'll have to look into that, but
I will say, you know, yes, Sunday, Yeah, Sunday, Jackson
Dart's numbers weren't you know, Hall of Fame caliber. But
it's again too, you got to take into consideration what
he did versus what he was asked to do. I mean,
(42:50):
they didn't even attempt to pass until the six or
seventh play the game. You know, it was a very
run centric play calling, and you know, I think that
he was doing what he was asked to do in
that regard, and I think, you know, going up against
Flores's defense, you know, yeah, he was making decisions. Some
of them he got lucky that they weren't picked off,
(43:12):
and some of them. You know, other things happened, But
I don't necessarily say that that's a game that you
look at and watch the tape and you say this
guy doesn't have it.
Speaker 1 (43:21):
No, I agree with him totally.
Speaker 8 (43:23):
I'm not saying that Jackson Dark doesn't have I think
Jonathan Vilma doesn't have.
Speaker 1 (43:28):
Yeah, Colored, Neither one of us know and appreciate the call.
Speaker 4 (43:32):
Neither one of us know what Viilma said, because again,
we're working the game here on site, and even when
I go back and look at the old twenty two,
I'm not watching the TV or listening to the TV copy,
so and to be honest, it's irrelevant to me what
a color analyst will say. And this has nothing to
do with Jonathan Vilma, you know, because I'm looking at
the old twenty two, and I'm also talking to the
(43:54):
coaches and the players and asking them about certain things,
and you know, understanding where they were coming and from
or what they saw what they didn't see. That's more
important to me than any TV analyst talking about it
from upstairs in the booth during the course of the game.
I'm sorry, that's and that's no disrespect to any of
the guys who are in the booth because I think
(44:14):
some of them are really really good. Like I'll be
honest with you, Troy Aikman's outstanding. He's outstanding. Have you
ever listened to Aikman doing those games with when they
do football. He's really really good.
Speaker 3 (44:25):
Yeah. So, But so there's a lot of talented players
are people that are calling games in the booth, and
you know, they all see things through the lens of
their own preparation and experience. So I don't know. I
don't know what film Vilma watched of Dart to prepare
for the game. I don't know what tape or what
games of Darts he has been focusing on to develop
(44:47):
the impression of Jackson Dart that he has, right, I
don't know if he's watched all season of Jackson Dart
or maybe just the last couple of weeks. So all
of that plays into the factor of what Vilma's perception
of Jackson Dart is. But again, I would say to
Giants fans out there, trust your own eyes. I mean,
you guys have been watching these games in this team
(45:07):
for several years, if not more, and so I think
you can take it all with a grain of salt.
Whether what it's Jonathan Willma says, or Paul Detino says,
or I say, or you know, anybody else says. I
think you know, Giants fans are smart football fans, and
they've got a lot of.
Speaker 4 (45:22):
You know, there's a lot of ways to look at things.
I will only say this from what I know of
Jonathan Vilma. He's a good guy.
Speaker 6 (45:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (45:29):
And Jonathan Cassius, who was a teammate of his in
New Orleans, tells me he was a good guy and
he knows his ball.
Speaker 3 (45:35):
Well, you can be a good guy and know your
ball and just have a slighted opinion on.
Speaker 4 (45:38):
Say exactly, and that's fine. That's fine. So this is
not an indictment on him. So I tell the caller
hesitate before you take significant issue with Jonathan Wilma as
an analyst. You may disagree with his opinion, and that's
perfectly fine. Everybody can have a different opinion, but you
don't have to necessarily slam the guy if you saw
(46:00):
in a different way.
Speaker 3 (46:01):
Apparently, Richard Armstrong on YouTube is chiming and saying that
Vilma was bored by the game, so we kept talking
about the Bears game. Oh, I don't know we didn't again,
didn't see the copy. But the Bears are who we
thought they were. You want to crown them, crown them.
They're coming for the NFC right now.
Speaker 4 (46:17):
Yeah, I will well, No, I didn't see the TV tape.
I don't know how I didn't see the page. Yeah,
but I will say this, it is important to me
as a viewer that the guy sticks to the game
that he's doing.
Speaker 1 (46:29):
Again, not knowing exactly what that situation.
Speaker 3 (46:32):
Was, That's fair. The Giants official connected TV streaming app,
Giants TV, brings original video content and game highlights on
demand and direct Big Blue fans. Giants TV is free
on Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV, and on
the Giants Mobile app. To a one nine three nine
four five one three. Let's go back to the phone lines.
A perfect caller for Festivus. Here, we've got Wilson in Roxbury. Wilson,
(46:57):
you're on Big Blue Kickoff Live with Paul and Madeline.
I'm sure you've got some grievances, Sara, What do you got?
Speaker 4 (47:03):
I will start by wishing you a merry Christmas, will
safore you go into your diet?
Speaker 2 (47:08):
Okay, Look, Polly is cringing. It's cringing. Look at them,
Look at them, Pally, don't take it a personal We're
just having fun. Go ahead, look Pully, listen. Okay, hopefully
Poly after two weeks you will have to make any
more excuses for this horrendous general manager and Brian Dable
that he's gone already, because what these two guys did
to this franchise police this past three seasons is almost criminal.
(47:31):
It was a franchise mob practice. I'm just gonna leave
it at that. Okay, Uh, that's it. We'll well, we'll
start frection next year, building our foundation. That's that's not that.
And my main point is this, if some delusional giant
fans out there, a media and whatever one they want
to tell us that this kid it's a franchise quarterback,
they have to have their head exams. This kid is
(47:53):
not it. I've seen him basically live in the Blue
ten and when he's a at the Blue ten, I've
seen him for basically a whole season.
Speaker 8 (48:01):
And he's not it.
Speaker 2 (48:02):
Okay, I don't know what if you have the number
one pick and you don't pick this Fernando Mendoza, which
is a bigger kid with stronger arm and probably a
lot smarter just to get Giants fans some hope. Then
we have no hope.
Speaker 3 (48:16):
I wait, Wilson, you want the Giants to take a
quarterback number one overall when they just invested a first
round pick and trade it up for a quarterback last
season who is not only on the field but also
has been selling jerseys and creating a culture around this team.
Speaker 2 (48:33):
Madaline, I dodn't listen. They only gave up like a
paragram pick, and this kid is making a little bit
more money than backed up quarterback money.
Speaker 3 (48:41):
But what does that do to a locker room? If
you if you immediately jump off, you immediately quit on
a guy.
Speaker 2 (48:46):
Listen, listen, listen, matter listen. You know when you see
somebody you know, I've been watching for a long time.
This kid is not it. Do you take another chance?
Do you take an we can't.
Speaker 1 (48:58):
Go medal boy, We really let you just handle this call.
Speaker 3 (49:01):
But Linda, Linda, listen, Linda, Linda Wilson.
Speaker 1 (49:06):
I respect your.
Speaker 3 (49:08):
Take as a as a football fan who's been watching
football a long time. I also respect the idea that
you know, the Giants have made an investment in a player,
and they made a decision to take this player, and
I think that they are going to invest in allowing
him to have some leeway to uh to develop and
perhaps trade back instead of taking another quarterback up. You
(49:32):
might look at and say number one overall pick some
of them have been great, some of them have been
flops more often.
Speaker 2 (49:37):
That's what I'm saying, Madeline. Listen, listen, listen, Madelyne. If
you doesn't make a difference, if you don't think you
have the guy, you picked the next guy, eventually you're
gonna get it right. This kid is not it, Madeline.
Speaker 4 (49:49):
We cannot go we no, you need to answer a question,
Wilson before we let you breath another breath. I'm going
to try to help her out here because I really
wanted to let you in.
Speaker 1 (49:59):
I mean, but now I gotta get him, get it off. Now,
I got to get involved. You're so smart, Wilson.
Speaker 4 (50:05):
You've been watching football such a long time, and you
got this whole thing down. So in two thousand and four,
when Eli Manning in his rookie season.
Speaker 1 (50:15):
Was dread three thirteen, was.
Speaker 4 (50:19):
Dreadful in his rookie season until he beat the Cowboys
in the last game of the year.
Speaker 1 (50:25):
Until that point, when.
Speaker 4 (50:27):
They were as bad and as deep into the quicksand
under Eli Manning. What did you say, then, did you
think Eli Manning was any good?
Speaker 1 (50:37):
Or did you think he was no good? Answer the question.
Speaker 4 (50:41):
If you can't answer the question, you can kindly hang
up because you're not going to be part of this program.
Speaker 1 (50:47):
Answer the question, what did you think of Eli Manning?
What did you think? Pearson? He's done, he's done, he's done.
What he's done?
Speaker 3 (50:57):
Well, we got to, you know, sure, at least today
on Festivus. Here, Well, here's a problem, feeds of strength.
Speaker 1 (51:04):
Here's the problem. The problem is very simple.
Speaker 4 (51:07):
He claims that he has an eye and that he
knows football, and that he knows this guy's not the
guy yet jackson darts rookie season to this point, to
this point was far better than Eli Manning's season was
as a rookie to that point.
Speaker 1 (51:24):
I think that's a fact.
Speaker 3 (51:25):
I think Wilson is giving Jeff Probes to energy. And
what I mean by that is he is consistent in
every time he calls in, somebody else has to get
voted off the island. And you know what, nothing if
not consistent.
Speaker 4 (51:38):
All he had to do was answer the question he
could have stayed on, but he refused to answer.
Speaker 3 (51:43):
The question that's fair. Well, I think yeah, I think
I think Wilson had a lot to say, and I
respect that. I respect his his perspective and his take.
But I think we need a little bit more time.
And I think it would absolutely be a terrible idea
to one season after trading back into the first round,
getting a first round quarterback that gives you a fifth
(52:05):
year option on his contract and a player that has
not only come in and has been at times a
talented player on the football field, a game changing player,
a decisive player also in the locker room, a leader
also culturally around this team building a culture. Giants fans
are buying number six Jackson dark jerseys. You don't just
(52:28):
hop off that bandwagon because you have the number one
pick and there's no say, listen, I have a lot
of respect for Mendos. I think he's a talented college quarterback.
We don't know what that's going to translate to number
one overall picks. I mean, cam Ward's having his struggles
this season. Baker Mayfield took him several years before kind
of coming into his own and finding success. Oftentimes we
(52:51):
see a quarterback taken first. Overall, that's not immediately changing
the game for the team that they're playing for. So
what's to say that the Giants are gonna say, oh, well,
now this is the answer to all of our problems.
I think the answer to their problems is trading back
if they do end up with the number one pick,
trading back, recouping some of that draft capital that they
traded away for Jackson Dart last season and perhaps some more,
(53:14):
and stocking up on depth, because that's the biggest wall
of this team is They've got some talented starters, but
if a man goes down with an injury, the next
man up. Sometimes in some positions, the drop off is
so significant that it affects the production on the field.
Speaker 4 (53:29):
And you're one hundred percent right. If they get the
number one pick, they should trade it, have no doubt
in my mind that's what they should do. Simply put,
Jackson Dart has shown more positives this year than any
Giants rookie quarterback since Phil Simms in nineteen seventy nine.
Speaker 1 (53:45):
That's the bottom line. That's not in dispute. And you
know what, if anybody truly.
Speaker 4 (53:54):
Wanted to grade Eli Manning's future after his rookie season
when he came in for Kurt Warner and slid right
down the hill, I mean, into the depths of the
canyon until until the final game when.
Speaker 1 (54:10):
They beat the Dallas Cowboys. Ticky Barber and I was
just talking about this on the post game the other day.
Speaker 4 (54:14):
Until that game, everything that Eli did during his rookie
season was bad.
Speaker 3 (54:21):
But then his sophomore season, they turn around, they go
to the playoffs. Same with his brother, Peyton Manning. Peyton's
rookie season, he's three and thirteen is just let give
it interceptions.
Speaker 1 (54:31):
He was awful and then.
Speaker 3 (54:33):
And then now sophomore season turns it around, goes to
the playoffs, and it's now a future Hall of Famer.
So I think you can't judge a player by the
record in the rookie season, but you judge them by
the intangibles and the moments and the growth that you've seen.
And I think Jackson Dart has that in spades, and
that the certainty of what you have with Jackson Dart
(54:55):
to build off of is much more than the question
mark about a potential drafted player at quarterback. I don't
even know why we're entertaining this because there's not no
universe which that's gonna happen, but you know it is
what it is. All right, Well that's are we done?
I mean, we're done here. It's all we got, It's
(55:17):
all she wrote. I mean, the Giants have the Raiders
on Sunday. Should we talk a little bit about that game?
Speaker 1 (55:24):
Well, it's a four o'clock kickoff.
Speaker 3 (55:26):
There you go. We've got facts for you ladies and gentlemen. Paul,
are you gonna be Are you gonna be putting anything
on red or.
Speaker 1 (55:32):
Black or No?
Speaker 4 (55:33):
I don't gable at all, neither nothing. I have nothing
to do with it. So honestly, this trip for me.
You know, look, last time we went to Las Vegas.
I'm one of the biggest Elvis Presley fans.
Speaker 1 (55:44):
In the world.
Speaker 3 (55:45):
Are you really?
Speaker 4 (55:45):
Oh yeah, you jebas president? Okay, so I can't wait
till Epic comes out in February. But I had never
been to Vegas before. So when the Giants were we
went out to Vegas a couple of years ago. Got
to go see the Westgate Hotel, which was the old
Into National Hotel where Eli Eli Elvis Presley made his
comeback to live concerts in nineteen sixty nine, and it
(56:09):
was really cool.
Speaker 1 (56:10):
Because that hotel is intact.
Speaker 4 (56:12):
They've expanded it, but the basic part of that hotel
is the same. It's the same, the showroom's the same,
the lobby's the same. It's still the old International, but
it's now called the Westgate.
Speaker 1 (56:24):
That was cool.
Speaker 3 (56:25):
That's cool.
Speaker 4 (56:26):
But other than that, there's nothing there for me in
Las Vegas.
Speaker 1 (56:30):
I'm sorry, there's nothing there. Have you made there?
Speaker 4 (56:32):
By the way, Great Stadium, yeah, allegied Stadium's wild.
Speaker 3 (56:36):
When you drive by it on the freeway, there's like
a big screen on the outside that you can see.
And I would absolutely I mean, first of all, is
my high school graduating class superlative, was worst driver, so
I'm going to caveat that with this, but I would
absolutely get in a car accident because I'd be.
Speaker 1 (56:51):
Like, oh, look what's going again?
Speaker 3 (56:53):
Right boom? Yeah? Okay, anyway, but Great Stadium very high tech.
And then he got the spear over there too, which
is pretty cool.
Speaker 4 (57:00):
And you know it was opened at the time I
was there, and I walked past it and I'm like,
it's a giant glowing marble.
Speaker 3 (57:08):
Yeah, is it? Absolutely?
Speaker 7 (57:12):
Is?
Speaker 1 (57:12):
I you know. I guess if I was inside, will
they come up with next?
Speaker 4 (57:16):
I don't know, but if I was inside, maybe saw
something in there, maybe I'd be like really freaked out.
But walking past it, I'm like, Okay, it's a big
giant glowing marble.
Speaker 3 (57:25):
Yeah again, big deal, it's shiny whatever. Before we wrap
it up, I just have to give credit to Peter
Ward twelve eighty five on YouTube, who has come up
with a tremendous idea, and Pearson, I feel like you
could produce this. We need to put Wilson and Charlie
on an island and let them argue it out. I
mean that would give First Take a run for its money.
Speaker 1 (57:48):
Can I produce remotely?
Speaker 2 (57:51):
Not on the island?
Speaker 1 (57:53):
Good call, Pierson.
Speaker 3 (57:54):
I am here for it. Listen. I appreciate the passion
that the fans are bringing. Whether or not we agree
with you, I think it's a fantastic thing to have
people that's invested. And we shall see. But you know what,
the week goes on Week seventeen Giants Raiders, have fun
in Vegas, have a happy holiday.
Speaker 2 (58:16):
No show tomorrow or on Christmas, but we'll be back Friday.
Speaker 3 (58:19):
Oh there we go. Yeah, yes, Programming Alert. We'll have
Christmas even Christmas Day off. Spend some time with your family,
watch some NBA and NFL go oh Nick, thanks for
listening to today's episode of Big Blue Kickoff Live, which
is part of the Giants Podcast Platforms Everywhere and Giants
dot Com Slash podcast for Puldatino. I'm Madeline Burke. Happy holidays,
It's time for a Big Blue Kickoff line. Nobody can
ever tell you that you couldn't do it because you're
on Giants dot Com. Do you know what I saw? You?
York Giant Crime and the Giants Mobile app.
Speaker 2 (00:18):
One touch down.
Speaker 1 (00:19):
We all We're all Tamper.
Speaker 3 (00:22):
Part of the Giants Podcast Network's bunch of crazy dogs
has a hot Welcome into today's episode of Big Blue
Kickoff Live, presented by Cadillac, the official luxury vehicle of
the New York Football Giants. My name is Madeline Burke
alongside Paul Deatino. The phone number here is to A
one nine three nine four five one three, or you
can join us on social media using hashtag Giants Chat.
(00:43):
And archive of this show and our entire podcast networks
is available on the mobile app podcast platforms Everywhere and
Giants dot Com slash podcast And we're coming to you
live from the Giants Podcast Studio presented by Hackensack Meridian Health.
Keep getting better. It's Tuesday, December twenty third. Happy Festivus, Paul.
Speaker 4 (01:02):
Yeah, indeed, although how happy can we be with that
freezing rain, snow, wintery mix that's coming.
Speaker 1 (01:09):
Down right now?
Speaker 3 (01:10):
Sounds like you're already airing your grievances out here, well,
yeah with the weather man.
Speaker 1 (01:16):
Listen.
Speaker 3 (01:16):
For those of you who are not familiar with the
Festivus lore, it is a made up Seinfeld holiday that
I am quite fond of. Frank Costanza, George's father, invented it. Essentially,
you gotta hang an aluminum poll instead of a Christmas tree.
It starts with the airing of grievances and then the
feats of strength. It is the most one of my
(01:37):
favorite episodes of Seinfeld. And it's December twenty third every year.
So our listeners know very well.
Speaker 4 (01:43):
I have never watched Souindfeld and never will. It is
not my program.
Speaker 3 (01:47):
I find tinsel distracting.
Speaker 1 (01:48):
That's okay, this is.
Speaker 3 (01:51):
Why this is why we're educating, right, I'm not. I'm
not excipping. Everyone catches all the popular references, and so
I'm like, you know what listen dots is watching Giants documentary.
Speaker 1 (02:00):
That's it.
Speaker 3 (02:00):
I'm going to tune into a Seinfeld episode every once
in a while and we're gonna celebrate the holiday that
is or isn't.
Speaker 1 (02:07):
Yeah, you know it isn't. More like it right now?
Speaker 4 (02:12):
You know it's funny because over the years. You know,
the NFL used to not play on Christmas, and now
the NBA, which had a choke hold on Christmas for
what is it twenty five years years? Even that was
their holiday. Thanksgiving was the NFL. You had the Lions,
you had the Cowboys. Always those two teams always played
(02:35):
a doubleheader on Thanksgiving. That was your NFL.
Speaker 1 (02:38):
Holiday, right And when the.
Speaker 4 (02:42):
NBA decided that they were going to say we're gonna,
we're gonna, We're gonna take Christmas.
Speaker 1 (02:46):
Nobody's taking that real estate.
Speaker 4 (02:48):
We want it, you know, because years ago there was
a Chiefs Dolphins game in the early seventies, it was
a playoff game.
Speaker 3 (02:55):
Well, there have been some Sundays that Christmas, right.
Speaker 4 (02:58):
So there have been periodic on Christmas, but the league
never wanted to take over the holiday, right. Well, all
of a sudden a few years ago, after the NBA
had had claim on it for decades, why'd you get
they all decided, let's see, some of these new streaming
partners want some more games, why don't we sell them
(03:21):
Christmas games?
Speaker 1 (03:23):
And of course what happened.
Speaker 4 (03:25):
He put a couple of games on what two three
years ago and it is now to the.
Speaker 1 (03:31):
Point where there's a triple header now on Christmas, right.
Speaker 3 (03:33):
Right there is. But I think it's a smart business decision, Paul,
because when you think about it as a consumer, as
a viewer, as a sports fan, Christmas Day, much like
Thanksgiving days, a day where you're home, you're not at work,
you're home, you're with your family, and you know, you
do the family stuff for a while, and then everyone
kind of gathers around the TV. And if you're not
going to watch the NBA games, or you're not going
to watch Love Actually for the nine hundredth time, maybe
(03:55):
you want to throw on an NFL game and it's
a day in which you've got a captive audio. And
I think working in sports too, I always think it's
one of the greatest things to work on the holidays
because you are being a part of a broadcast that
is getting so much more eyes and so much more
attention because people are home rather than you know, caught
up in the busyness of their lives. They're like, all right,
let me be home with my family and watching these
(04:18):
holiday games, and it's you know, it's it's a treat
because it's it's a whole nother level of prime time,
much like Sunday Night Football or Monday Night Football or
Thursday Night Football. It's just all eyes on the big stage.
Speaker 1 (04:31):
Well, I don't mind working on the holiday.
Speaker 4 (04:34):
I'm a work a whole ag anyway, so I just
assume works seven days a week and not take a holiday.
But my thing about it was that's the NBA's day
and the NFL has Thanksgiving. Well you you're an old
time NBA person, so I appreciate this too.
Speaker 3 (04:50):
Yeah.
Speaker 1 (04:50):
So now like the Knicks are on, the Knicks play
every Christmas. Yeah at the Garden. Yep.
Speaker 4 (04:55):
Now I'm not lucky enough to have next season tickets.
John has a partial or I think you might have
a full season, So he's probably gone to a bunch
of them.
Speaker 3 (05:03):
Call up Don Sperling get the plus one.
Speaker 1 (05:05):
Yeah, exactly. Well, I know Don goes.
Speaker 3 (05:06):
John goes every Christmas.
Speaker 4 (05:07):
Okay, so now that's a big deal. Christmas Day at
the Garden is a big, big deal.
Speaker 5 (05:13):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (05:13):
Now, was a Knicks fan. Even though I've never gone,
I will never miss watching the Knicks on Christmas Day.
Speaker 1 (05:18):
At the Garden.
Speaker 3 (05:18):
Fair.
Speaker 4 (05:19):
Everybody in my family knows Nicks are out of twelve thirty.
Speaker 1 (05:22):
I think it is Yeah, that's it. Leave him alone.
Speaker 4 (05:25):
He's watching the Knicks for the next two and a
half hours. Okay, But now, because I am an NFL
guy first, Okay, even though I don't care necessarily about
the teams that are playing, I'm still an NFL guy first.
Speaker 1 (05:39):
I now have to make a decision.
Speaker 3 (05:41):
Now you don't, cause I got I got, I got
news for you, Paul. We got to introduce you to
the multi screen experience. Okay, Paul de Tino, I think, ladies,
gentlemen is ready for the multiest screen exper Yes, you
can still and pick pick your one A and one beat.
You can have on the TV. You can have the
NFL game. You know, say you want to, you know,
your belongs to football. You can have the NFL and football.
(06:03):
But then you can prop up a tablet or a
laptop and stream the Knicks.
Speaker 4 (06:08):
When the Giants are off on a weekend, I sit
in my living room or my dan depends on which
room the wife wants.
Speaker 1 (06:16):
I get the other room.
Speaker 4 (06:18):
The TV gets one game, laptop gets another game, second,
laptop gets another game.
Speaker 1 (06:24):
See and I have three at game not hard days.
When the Giants are not played, there you go so
and you you don't have what the concert.
Speaker 3 (06:31):
Yeah, see, so you're familiar, you could do it and
instead of just three football you go, you know, football, basketball.
Speaker 4 (06:36):
I know, but see, I'm much I'm as passionate about
the Knicks. Almost nothing beats the Giants for me. But
I'm I'm a pretty emotional Knicks fan.
Speaker 3 (06:47):
I can't say I can't. I can't use that surprises nobody.
Speaker 1 (06:52):
I could never watch a split screen Knicks game. No, no,
if the Knicks are on, I'm watching the Knicks.
Speaker 3 (06:56):
Yeah, maybe you avert your eyes in the commercial break
between Marshall breaks.
Speaker 4 (07:00):
I might flip for thirty seconds to check on the
early football And I don't even know what's the early
football game.
Speaker 3 (07:05):
That's fine, you know, because I think I don't even
know which one it is. Yeah, I don't remember.
Speaker 4 (07:09):
Now there were three games, right, Yeah, there's a chickleheader
on Christmas. And by the way, Goodell knew what he
was doing, because I don't know if you were aware, Madeline,
but the NFL Christmas Day ratings have crushed the NBA
since Goodell put those games on.
Speaker 3 (07:24):
Well, yeah, okay, so the early game it's Lions Viking.
Oh no, first, it's Cowboys Commanders at one pm, then
Lions Vikings at four thirty, then Broncos Chiefs. I think, yeah,
Roger Goodell understands that in the United States, the NFL
is the predominant sport, which is why they're not shy
(07:45):
to encroach on Christmas Day. They're not shy to encroach
on NBA All Star Weekend, which in a couple of
years will be now Super Bowl weekend, and you get
President's Day the Monday off after Super Bowl. So congratulations,
football fans have another.
Speaker 1 (08:01):
I get it. And for Roger it.
Speaker 4 (08:03):
Was a chance to just expand the revenue stream because
I believe all three of the Christmas Day games of
stream games right.
Speaker 3 (08:11):
Uh yeah, they're all available. They're all on Netflix or
two on Netflix, and the third, the night game, is
on Prime Video.
Speaker 4 (08:16):
Right, so they're not even Bronco's chiefs on Prime video
with no Patrick Mahomes.
Speaker 1 (08:23):
Yeah right, that's going to be a tough oney and
Minshews too.
Speaker 3 (08:26):
Yeah, Al Michaels is going to have a day. I
respect it.
Speaker 4 (08:30):
So, but I guess what I'm saying is Adam Silver
just came out the NBA Commissioner. For those of you
who don't know, Silver just came out. Did you see
the number that he gave to the media. I think
it was yesterday that NBA viewership on the whole is up?
Speaker 3 (08:47):
Is Up?
Speaker 1 (08:47):
Was it forty or something?
Speaker 3 (08:49):
So that last year that would make sense too, because
the NBA has had a change in broadcast partnership, you know,
the NBA on NBC bringing back a lot of the nostalgia,
the NBA on Prime. They're doing a great job.
Speaker 1 (08:59):
And I think John is great.
Speaker 3 (09:01):
By the way, how did we not love that bad basketball?
But I think a lot of sports fans and basketball fans,
you know who maybe weren't tuning into early season basketball games.
We're tuning in to see, Okay, what are they going
to do? What's this broadcast going to look like? What
is this Mogan Jordan interview going to sound like? What
is this going to be? And then you get in
and you get hooked and you're like, okay, yeah, you
(09:23):
know what, I'm I'm on the bandwagon again. I'm and
I've built the habit. I've built this into my routine
of watching it and tuning into you know, one of
these broadcast partners and I sat in the.
Speaker 1 (09:34):
NBA Cup has had something to do with that a
little bit maybe, and exactly the Surgeon to the Knicks. Yeah,
go Bockers, baby, there you go, Resurgeon to the Knicks.
That's been a big deal. The league loves it when
the Knicks are good.
Speaker 3 (09:47):
The league loves it when the Knicks are good.
Speaker 1 (09:49):
Lakers are good too. They like both tames.
Speaker 3 (09:52):
But anyway, Lebron James did say that he would rather
be home with his family than playing on Christmas, which
I think is a sign that we're getting near the
end times for Lebron and this man has been in
the league for twenty three years, for longer than some
of these rookies have been alive, so it's getting to
be that point. But anyways, we digress because this is
Big Blue Kickoff Live and we are here to talk
(10:12):
about the Giants. But you know what, we're sports fans
the core of it, and I'm sure all of you
listening are as well. Giants though, two more games, penultimate
game of the season at the Raiders this weekend. Yes,
how are you listen? You know, Dots, you gave me
a great idea, or you had a great idea earlier,
you said listen. With Christmas this week we should give
(10:34):
the Giants a Christmas gift on the field, right, what
would what position? What position would you gift the Giants?
And now here's a question, is it for the remainder
of this season or for the foreseeable future.
Speaker 4 (10:48):
If you could give them a gift wrapped position right
now and say this is yours, take it as long
as you want. It doesn't have to be for the
next two weeks. It can last into next too.
Speaker 1 (11:00):
It's a gift. When you give a gift to somebody,
doesn't just disappear in two weeks.
Speaker 3 (11:04):
That's true. That's true.
Speaker 4 (11:05):
They get to keep it as long as they want
to have it, or until.
Speaker 1 (11:08):
It breaks, right.
Speaker 4 (11:09):
Yeah, So you know, I look at it, and I
think we all understand we've already kind of started thinking
a little bit about the draft, not a lot, but
a little bit in my case. And I think, to
be honest with you, I would absolutely love big play receiver.
Speaker 1 (11:28):
I would love a cover corner.
Speaker 4 (11:30):
I would love a stud defensive lineman. But I think
since I can only have one to give to the Giants,
I would box a defensive lineman. Yeah, an absolute stud
defensive lineman. Because I'm going to be of the opinion
that Neighbors will come back and be the superstar that
(11:52):
he is. Yeah, I'm of the hope that Cordel Flott
does re sign with the Giants. He's had a really
good season and that pulse on the debo returns to
be in the a debo he was with the Saints
before the Giants signed him. He's had a very rough year.
Injuries were a part of.
Speaker 3 (12:09):
Him, big part of it. He was out for several
games with count on a rebound. Yeah. Well, and I
think too, you know, you've got flawed a devo. You've
got some strength at corner, but you need depth there
because the drop off from one to two is significant.
Speaker 4 (12:24):
Right now, the defensive line is not getting it done
against the run, no matter who the coordinator is. The
Giants are not stuffing people at the line of scrimmage
as well as they have to, and they're not keeping
Bobby o'karrike clean enough to be the linebacker that he
is supposed to be.
Speaker 3 (12:40):
I think also too, you know, you've got to consider
you know, you think about the injuries that have plagued
the Giants this season, and the big ones that stand
out are Malik Neighbors and Camp Scataboo of course, and
you know Neighbors will come back next season. You've got
that big play wide receiver Scatt will come back next season.
You've got another forcible presence run game. And but before
(13:03):
either of those went down, the Giants suffered a significant
injury that I think we forget Micah McFadden. Micah McFadden
is a big part of the way that that defense functions.
Speaker 1 (13:14):
I'm counting on him coming back.
Speaker 3 (13:16):
I am as well, But I think when you look
at the way that this defense has functioned for the
majority of this season without him, I think that absence
has played a big part in you know, everyone else's
kind of shortcomings for lack of a better word, to
some degree to agree too. So I think when when
you look at next season in a reset and everyone
kind of healed and healthy and ready to go, this
(13:39):
is a very different unit.
Speaker 1 (13:40):
But I hope, so, I hope so we all do?
Speaker 3 (13:42):
We all do? I I might, I might, And I
mean this with a lot of love and respect for
the the players who have come in and played this position.
But I would gift the Giants a kicker, okay, that
they can count on, and I you know, a lot
of respect for Ben Saale, by the way, the rookie
left footed kicker who came in and made his debut
(14:05):
last week. They got hyped up. They had to kick
this special teams getting the intros before the game against
the Vikings. You know, Sauls made his kicks. The opening
kickoff didn't land in bounds, but after that he found
his rhythm and he found his sea legs. But the
kicking game in the NFL is one of those positions
that if you're doing your job well, nobody cares. If
(14:26):
you're not doing your job well, suddenly it's a big
and that's a hard that's a hard cross to bear, right.
You know, if you're perfect in everything you do, then
nobody's even thinking about you. And that's the goal for
a kicker. And I think the Giants over the last
couple of years have had so many issues, whether it
be injuries or inconsistencies at that position. I would love
(14:47):
to give the Giants a kicker that they don't have
to think about that they know, all right, yeah, we're
in this range, we're gonna put him in and we're
going to trust that it's going to go through the uprights.
Speaker 4 (14:56):
Gano was that guy until he started to get hurt.
Speaker 3 (14:58):
But you know what that happens when you're on the
back nine, you know, And I think no had an
incredible long career and every career and is an incredible
player at its best. But once he gets to a
certain point in you know, you get a lot of
wear and tear on the leg, and then the injuries
start adding up. Then it's time to say, Okay, maybe
we turn the page. And so I think there are
(15:20):
a lot of guys who have had success and talent
at that position, and who knows, Ben sALS could grow
into that. I mean, I would love to see a
better call Saul's back page on the New York Post.
I mean, let's go.
Speaker 4 (15:33):
Look, the kicker is directly related to points because every
play he plays outside of a kickoff, pat or field goal, Yeah,
it's points.
Speaker 3 (15:44):
It's points. That's why oftentimes I would.
Speaker 4 (15:46):
Not dispute you at all on Yeah, I think that's
a very fair guy to want to give them.
Speaker 3 (15:52):
I would love to bequeath that gift for the holiday
season and henceforth to a one nine three five one
three is the phone number. Giants fans, make sure you
go and subscribe to with the Giants Huddle podcast. It
features long form interviews with Giants players, coaches, and front
office staff past and present. Plus you'll hear from the
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(16:15):
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Let us know what you think. You know the deal
two A one nine three nine four five one three.
Let's head to the phone lines this holiday season. We've
got David in North Carolina calling in. David, Welcome to
the show. You're on Big Blue Kickoff Live with Dodson Madeline.
Speaker 6 (16:37):
Either early Merry Christmas, Dave both your dream to you.
I haven't had a chance to call in in a while,
and I just saw Paul was hosting. So I'm trying
to put things in perspective. And I know how long
Paul has been a fan, and obviously at the end
(17:00):
were some tough years there after the great fifties teams, The.
Speaker 1 (17:07):
Yell Bowl comes to mind, and so I, yeah.
Speaker 6 (17:13):
I kind of grew up at the tail end of
the or came into my fandom tail end of the
parcels there. I was, I was really young, uh ten
eleven years old, so my my teenage years, prime years
of you know, playing football were you know, trying to
fill that gap after Sims and so it was definitely
(17:35):
you know, some some difficult years there, but as a
Giants fan, there was always a certain level of respectability
and also a realization of, you know, it might take
a while to find that franchise quarterback because we're just
not that high up in the draft that often. And
(17:58):
then you know, obviously I don't want to take up
too much time. But we were able to kind of
have a transformation project there with and revitalized Kerry Collins' career,
and that was a that was a great success story there.
But you know, we just, uh it was odd first
to be high up in the draft, and it almost
took a perfect scenario the year that we were able
(18:22):
to be that high up in the draft for Eli.
You know, you think about that year Fossil had everything
go wrong with you know, multiple multiple injuries that that
team was just very, very injury riddled, and I'm just
you know, I hate to have this kind of a
calm this close to Christmas, but I just I never
(18:45):
thought I would see the Giants with John Marra at
the Helm just be I hate to say it, it's
just bad for so long. It's just it just it
just kind of blows my mind.
Speaker 7 (19:00):
And I know people want to pick at, you know,
nepotism and family, and I come back and say, well,
you know, if you had a successful family business, would
you not want to have your family involved and be
a part of the business and grow up in the business.
Speaker 6 (19:15):
So I although that's a tough dynamic, I've never I've
never held that to guess mister Merra. And I obviously
know mister Meryra wants to win. I have no doubts
about that, and I know he's going to do everything
in his power to win. And I appreciate that as
a Giants fan, and I appreciate mister Marra having those
(19:37):
standards to be willing to spend money and try his
best to put a respectable product on the field. But
I will say I was really really dishearted with the
past couple of press conferences. I thought the Mike cap
the latest press conference just really.
Speaker 7 (19:58):
I don't know.
Speaker 6 (19:58):
Maybe it's just my opinion. Really hurt the standard for
this organization. I know Mike's involved in the offense, but
I thought it was glaring when he was asked the
question this week about some things on the defensive side
of the ball, and he openly admitted that he didn't
really have a chance to view it or see it
and be a part of it. And he would have to,
you know, go back and look at the tape. And
(20:19):
I just listen, I get it.
Speaker 2 (20:22):
I know he's an.
Speaker 6 (20:22):
Offensive coordinator and now he's the head coach, and obviously
there's been a ton of coach offensive grounded or calling plays.
But to just come out and say, hey, you know what,
I didn't see it. I was too busy over here
with the offense. Boy, I thought that was a bad
look for the organization and just as a head coach
(20:43):
in general. And then the last thing with the Joe
Shane press conference, you know, one thing I took away
from that is, you know, he talked about not repeating mistakes,
and I think about the kicking situation where the kicking
position is, oh, you can't keep an extra kicker, right,
(21:03):
It's just not in the cards, and so once something
happens with Graham Gono, you know, probably the second time,
you probably have to say to yourself, Hey, you know what,
this guy's a great guy, great kicker when he's healthy,
but if there's any any risk whatsoever, hamstring anything, I
can't take a chance on this guy costing us a
game again. And it continued to happen. And then the
(21:25):
other thing I'll point out that this front office continued
to not learn from their mistakes was the johnsh Azulu experiment.
I mean, I don't think you could find anybody around
the league that thought josh Azudu could play left tackle,
and this organization continued to try to press that forward
and press that forward and not really have a viable backup.
(21:48):
And I know backup left tackles are hard to find,
but to let someone like Andrew Thomas just wreck the
team when he goes down, it's just it's almost inexcusable
that you let one play or just totally destroy the
offense and destroy that side of the ball if he
gets hurt. And so that's just a couple of things
I bring up as we approach here at the end
(22:08):
of the year of some of my disappointment on how
this proud organization has I don't know what's happened. Something's
happened and it's sad and I don't like it. But
I'll let you guys comment on some of those thoughts.
And I appreciate you what you do.
Speaker 2 (22:23):
And Merry Christmas.
Speaker 3 (22:24):
Thank you so much, David. Thanks for the call. David
getting us started on Festivs with the airing of grievances,
and I get it, you.
Speaker 1 (22:30):
Know, all right.
Speaker 4 (22:33):
I think there are two points that he made that
I would like to clarify, and maybe if I can
give you a little more information, you may feel a
little differently about them. I've talked to people about the
whole Graham Gano thing. Now this is the thirty in
a row. He has suffered an injury, yep, and it's
forced the Giants to juggle the roster and have to.
Speaker 1 (22:49):
Deal with multiple kickers. So here was the issue.
Speaker 4 (22:55):
Please, as I always say, instead of being twenty twenty
hindsight or on Monday quarterback, what I asked you to
do was go into your time machine, push the button
back to the offseason and understand that given the situation
that the Giants had, Joe Shane's idea was, we think
the team is going to be competitive. We think we've
(23:17):
got a chance to actually be a whole lot better
this year, and we're going to.
Speaker 1 (23:20):
Be in a lot of games. Turned out he was right,
they were in a lot of games. He was right
about that.
Speaker 8 (23:26):
Yep.
Speaker 4 (23:28):
He thought that a field goal kicker could mean the
difference in at least two or three wins, maybe more
because they would be involved in a lot of close
games and he wanted to give Brian Dable and this
team every chance possible to win as many games as
they could. He did not want to take a chance
(23:49):
on Jude Mcatamney, who is a young, inexperienced one year
plus practice squad player okay.
Speaker 3 (23:56):
And who also had the international exception for to keep
him on the roster. So it wasn't as bunch of
a you know, it wasn't a burden a kick to
keep my roster because you have an international player exception
to it doesn't count on that. Yeah.
Speaker 4 (24:07):
So knowing that Mcatamney through all his time here was
rather inconsistent on his field goals at practice and camp.
Speaker 3 (24:16):
And everything, but they saw enough in him that they
thought it was worth developing him right on the practice.
Speaker 4 (24:21):
But he was not ready to kick this year, at
least that was not the thought during the offseason.
Speaker 1 (24:26):
So what Joe did.
Speaker 4 (24:27):
He decided, well, let's see, we've got money invested in
Gano because his contract still has another two years left
this year and next year. So if we cut him,
we're going to take a couple of million dollar plus
salary cap hit. Which the Giants were really aggressive in
free agency this year. They signed like fourteen free agents
(24:48):
because they really went after it thinking they could be
a competitive team this season. They didn't have the money
to burn under the salary cap to cut Gano.
Speaker 1 (24:58):
That's one from a business.
Speaker 4 (25:01):
Number two, they wanted to give Dable a reliable veteran
kicker who, by the way, Ganeau's track record is amongst
the best in the league when available.
Speaker 1 (25:13):
I get it.
Speaker 4 (25:13):
The asterisk went available, I get that. But he was
healthy all off season, did all the training he was
supposed to do, checked in with the training staff, the
strength and conditioning staff. They said, hey, he's good to go.
He's in great shape, he looks terrific. He's kicking wonderfully.
In the spring and in the summer. We got no
problems with him. Yeah, if you're asking for a red
(25:36):
flag injury wise, looks like he's good.
Speaker 1 (25:39):
So that's two boxes that he's checked at that point.
The third box is this.
Speaker 4 (25:46):
If you want to still make a move after Ganeau
checks both of those boxes, Now you got to tell
me which kicker out there is on the street and
has a very reliable track record and is going to
be the guy who was going to be at least
as good as Gano that if you get rid of him.
You got to look at Brian Davil in the eye
(26:08):
and say, Brian, you know what, I'm worried about Gano's age.
Speaker 1 (26:11):
I'm worried about his injury.
Speaker 4 (26:13):
I'm gonna bite the salary cap hit and I'm going
to give you this veteran kicker instead. That's a pretty hard.
Speaker 1 (26:22):
Thing to do, but it's the job.
Speaker 4 (26:26):
It's a job that requires a decision to make and
I don't think and I invite anybody out there go
back to the transaction wires.
Speaker 1 (26:36):
Behind over that course the summer and tell me which
veteran kicker who.
Speaker 4 (26:42):
Had an outstanding track record at least close to being Graham.
Gano's track record would have been the guy that you
wanted to bring in here and give your head coach.
I defy anybody to give me that player.
Speaker 3 (26:57):
Yeah, because there's not hindsight is twenty twenty and it's
always one of those things that when you look back,
you think, Okay, it could have done it this way,
should have done it that way, which we did it
this way. But you do the best he can with
the information you know in the moment, and that's all
that we can ask of these people. That's right, and
that's you know.
Speaker 4 (27:12):
And the risk, the risk of the injury, based on
the information they had, the risk of any kind of
injury was lower than the risk of taking a substandard,
healthy kicker and throwing him onto the head coach and saying,
you know what, you.
Speaker 1 (27:27):
Got to try to win games this year with this guy.
That's that's not a smart option.
Speaker 4 (27:34):
So I hate to disagree with you, but the Ganol thing,
that's a hindsight comment.
Speaker 1 (27:40):
As far as I'm concerned, Joe did what he had
to do.
Speaker 4 (27:44):
He weighed the scale and he made the right decision.
It didn't work out, but it was a logical decision
at the time that he made it. Because anybody who
argues that point, anyone has yet to give me the
appropriate that they would have brought in. Now one person
has come to me and said, well, they should have
(28:04):
got rid of Gano and this is the guy they
should have signed.
Speaker 1 (28:08):
Nobody has a name for me. So guess what.
Speaker 4 (28:12):
You're all on the wrong side of the fence, because
unless you had the answer, you lose.
Speaker 1 (28:17):
It's that simple. Now. The second item, Joshua is Zudu.
Speaker 4 (28:23):
I know an independent draft guy who consulted with North
Carolina and who actually scouted a Zudu to give him
and his family advice on what he should do, whether
he should come out early in the draft or not.
The North Carolina people and a Zudu were told, if
you stay your full years in college, he had one
more year of eligibility. You, with your athleticism and your talent,
(28:47):
you will likely be a second round draft pick. That's
the advice he was given. He'll be a second round
and that's not from the Giants. That's from independent draft
people who consult with players and college teams. You would
be a second round draft pick because of your talent
and your athleticism and ability. Giants wound up taking him
(29:08):
in the third round. As you know, because he came
out a year early.
Speaker 1 (29:11):
He decided they needed to do it. There were two reasons.
Speaker 4 (29:15):
One he wanted the chance to go pro take care
of his family. The other thing was at North Carolina
they were so desperate for offensive linemen. They were so
thin on the line that week to week and sometimes
even within a game, he would flop positions. So what
was he He was a versatile guy who could play
(29:38):
everywhere on the line, but a master of none.
Speaker 1 (29:42):
They hurt his development.
Speaker 3 (29:44):
But also the versatility is the thing that the Giants
liked about and when they drafted him, and that is
the thing that they pointed to when they said that, oh,
we like what he is able to do in that versatility.
So I think this has kind of taken that hindsight
and rebranding it. It was viewed as a positive.
Speaker 4 (30:02):
It was viewed as a positive because when they drafted him,
what they were hoping for that as a rookie he
could plug in anywhere on the line using that versatility,
but that eventually, eventually he was supposed to then compete
for a starting job in year two. The problem was
his development was hindered so badly by having to move
(30:22):
around everywhere, that he never became a master of any position.
Speaker 3 (30:27):
Yeah, that's not what rookie he was.
Speaker 4 (30:30):
But it became a curse. It actually hurt him long term.
It hurt his career.
Speaker 1 (30:35):
To be that versatile.
Speaker 4 (30:37):
It helped him stay in the league, but it hurt
his chances of developing and becoming the starter that he
might have otherwise been had he stayed.
Speaker 1 (30:46):
Now.
Speaker 4 (30:47):
He was told, or at least he was told by
the North Carolina people, we really would love to see
you back and finish your time here. But then the
problem was he looked at that offensive line and he
realized they we're not going to let him develop at
one spot. They were going to keep bouncing them around
again and again. Folks, there's two levels of value here.
(31:09):
Versatility may value you enough to stay in the league,
but it does not allow you to master any one
position where you can be a rock solid.
Speaker 1 (31:18):
Starter for somebody. Well, it's all levels, two levels.
Speaker 3 (31:22):
As a player, you come into the league and you
develop in the area in which you are asked to develop.
You evolve and grow in the role in which you
were asked to do so.
Speaker 1 (31:32):
And the Giants had to need a tackle and that's
why they put him out there.
Speaker 3 (31:35):
But they also used him at guard and all that
kind of stuff. They they did the exactly. So when
you talk about how he looked at the North Carolina
and said, you know, the Giants drafted him with the
thought of, Okay, your versatility is a plus, and we're
going to develop you at versatile positions and play you
across the line because that is something that we see
that you're good at. And so it's not a knock
(31:55):
on Joshua Zudu that he has come in and done
you know, Okay, this is what I was asked of
me or any which.
Speaker 1 (32:01):
No knock on him. It's it's great. It's unselfish of
him to do what he had to do. Yeah, and
it's like the team and it did hurt at his
own career.
Speaker 3 (32:09):
Sure, but as a fan, I think people can look
at it and say, oh, this, that or the other thing.
But it's like, you got to also separate what a
player does and also what they're asked to do versus oh,
what you want them to do, Well, that's not what
the team is asking of them, and so that's that's
an important thing.
Speaker 4 (32:25):
He did what North Carolina wanted him to do. For
the good of the team, and he's doing for what
the Giants want him to do for the good of
the team. It was never for the good of him.
He was never selfish about it. But what has happened.
He's now in a position where he's kind of positionless.
He is still nothing but a versatile backup. And that's
(32:45):
a shame because if he had at some point been
allowed to develop at the position that he would have
been best at, well, then maybe, just maybe we'd be
looking at him as a potential answer in twenty six
if they lose a Van.
Speaker 1 (33:01):
Roton or if they lose an Illuminar.
Speaker 4 (33:03):
Now, thank goodness they got Marcus Boy because Bo can
be the illumin Or successor if illumin Or leaves via
free agency. But if Van Roten retires, does anybody out
there feel that a Zudu has done enough at guard
that he can be that guy? Probably not, and I
wouldn't blame you one bit, But I hope the full
information on both of those points makes you a little
(33:26):
bit more willing to understand the different perspectives rather than
where exactly the angle you were coming from.
Speaker 3 (33:34):
Absolutely special Olympics New Jersey's annual Snowbull is heading to
Rutgers Football Stadium in twenty twenty six. This annual flag
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through eighth, twenty twenty six. The six on six tournament
will feature competitive, recreational and co ed divisions, and all
proceeds benefit thousands of Special Olympics New Jersey athletes across
the Garden State. Register your team today at njsnowbull dot org.
(33:57):
That's njsnowbull dot org. To one three, let's go back
to the phone lines. Coach Marvin in Delaware, Welcome to
the show you're on with Tatino and Madeline.
Speaker 9 (34:08):
Merry Christmas, Madeline and Paul Mary Christmas. Yeah, what I
was calling, I was just watching the game this morning
from this past Sunday, and the rip question I'd like
you guys that probably answer is what type of team
do you think we are right now? Because I can't
(34:29):
put a.
Speaker 5 (34:30):
Can't have a specific player. You can't say we throw
the ball, run the ball, play great defense. Is there
any part of the team you can identify with this team?
Speaker 1 (34:43):
Coach?
Speaker 4 (34:46):
The team is as unclutch as they came. That's about
the only thing I'm identifying with them right now. This
is the season of unclutch. Whenever they need to make
a play, they really need it.
Speaker 1 (34:59):
It's a gotta have it, they don't have it. That's
what I identified twenty twenty five with.
Speaker 5 (35:06):
Yeah, yeah, and and I was listening in the car
banks and I was listening in the tiki Sunday, and
I think people need I think the organization needs to
listen to those two guys because they actually are being
honest about what's being what's going on. I watched it
(35:26):
this morning, Capta to me, I looked at it. I
thought it was a pretty good game plan. Every time
they lined up with what eight in the box, you
could run the ball. They could run the ball, or
but they could they could run the ball. But I
thought they didn't do a good job in play calling.
Speaker 2 (35:48):
I thought that they.
Speaker 5 (35:49):
Should have did a little more play action when under
the center rather than in the shotgun. And so it
wouldn't matter what they were going to do when they
were had eight in the box, because if you're gonna
run the ball, you could see they was gashing them.
And then once you start gashing them, what they're gonna do.
They're gonna they're gonna bring that extra guy again trying
(36:11):
to stop the run, and that's when you can hit
him with a little more play action, and they didn't
do that. I thought they should have done that. So
I didn't have a problem with the game plan, but
I had a problem with the play calling of.
Speaker 8 (36:24):
That game plan.
Speaker 5 (36:27):
The other the other thing I was thinking Banks coming
out of college, Banks was a lot of people wanted Banks,
and I was probably one cheering that on and Banks
didn't have a bad.
Speaker 2 (36:41):
Rookie year.
Speaker 5 (36:42):
But something has happened, and I don't know what it is.
But sometimes your body language can tell a lot to me.
Speaking for me, body language tells me a lot. Because
the team itself, they have problems setting the edge defensively,
(37:04):
they have problems with angles because that's very important in football,
angles which leads to leverage, and they they're lost in that. Also,
there were some plays guys that they had third and thirteen,
third and sixteen, and guys just their angles was just bad.
(37:26):
And I don't know if the coaches, and I would
I would assume these guys are some of the smartest
people in the world that's teaching football, and that can
the guys comprehend what's teaching or the people that's teaching
them can't make it simple enough for them to understand.
Either one of those is bad, and so I think
(37:49):
that's what we're going to have to fix. There is
some things there that I see abdual Carter, the interim
defensive coordinator, moving them around, is it somehow has energized
them a little more. And I like that. Brian Burns
is Brian Burns and sometimes they have their moments that
the defense plays well. I'm not going to crush them
(38:11):
totally because I feel they You said it earlier, Paul,
they have been competing. If you look at those games,
they had chances to win those games, and that's competing.
And the other part I say, once you can compete,
then I have to teach you how to win win
games that you should win. And once you start winning
(38:34):
those games that you should win, then the next level
you had to get to how to become a winner,
not just win, but how to be a winner. And
sometimes that takes the coaching to get you over that
next pump, to put you in the right position and
then the right call to be successful to be a winner.
And I think we're missing that and I think we
(38:56):
need the coaching. I don't know what they're going to
do there. It goes back to what you said, Paul,
when you were talking about the kicker. You can point
out all the problems you want and you call it,
you call it. You're telling me that. But when you
tell me that, give me somebody else that who you're
talking about that can be in that spot. When you
were talking about the kicker, who was the other kicker
(39:18):
that you're gonna that they were going to put in
that spot.
Speaker 3 (39:21):
Well, that's the same point that Paul just made too,
is that, uh, you know, there's not there's not an
obvious choice. Although there are probably a lot of kickers
that you know, young guys coming out of college, or
there are guys that you know, maybe not top of
mind now that you could have given an opportunity too,
that could have earned their spot. I mean, who would
have seen cam Little becoming the kicker that he is
in Jacksonville, right, I Mean, there's a lot of people
(39:42):
that haven't had the chance yet to earn those stripes yet,
some names that we maybe not don't know yet because
they haven't had their opportunity yet more.
Speaker 4 (39:48):
Georgie would always laugh and I love, I love. I
learned so much from George. I love being around them.
Speaker 3 (39:54):
George used to go and Marvin, thank you so much
for the call. We got a lot of callers to
get to happy holidays.
Speaker 1 (39:59):
This is abandoned person nation. But George would say, you
know what, before before you told me that I gotta
make a change, and you asked me a question about
making a change, you better have the answer to the question.
And he was right. He was right.
Speaker 4 (40:14):
If you're insisting that what this this is is bad,
well come on, fuck it over.
Speaker 1 (40:22):
Give me the answer, then what's better?
Speaker 4 (40:24):
I mean, too many people ask and complain and don't
give you an answer.
Speaker 3 (40:29):
That's fair, that's fair. Speaking of impersonations, we've got a
YouTube comment that gave me the giggles over here. Peter
Ward says, every time poly Dots cracks his drink open,
I'm reminded of the movie Major League, when Bob Bucker
was cracking budweise Er something calling.
Speaker 1 (40:43):
The game Ucker yeah, must be yes.
Speaker 3 (40:48):
Exactly so good that one gave me a little chuckle there.
All right, Giants fans, you can take your fana to
the next level with the Giant season ticket membership. Catch
all the action at MetLife Stadium with an exciting home
schedule on the horizon, and with the membership, you'll also
stay connected to the club all year round, not just
on game days, with exclusive member access and benefits. To
(41:09):
learn more about a New York Giants season ticket membership,
visit Giants dot com slash ticket two A one nine
three nine four five one three. Back to the phones
we go, Rob in Connecticut. Rob, Welcome to the show.
You're on Big Blue Kickoff Live with Paul and Madeline.
Speaker 8 (41:24):
Hey, Madeline dot how's it going? That's nice Christmas Eve Eve?
Speaker 3 (41:28):
And nice Christmas Eve Eve to you too?
Speaker 8 (41:32):
Nice, well, terrific. Anyway, two things real quick. I want
to know what your opinion is on what I thought
was a debacle of a broadcast with Jonathan Bilma, who
is like resetting this Jackson dark narrative? Which is that one?
Which is my next point. I think his performance on
Sunday and actually the last couple of times it's been abominable.
(41:54):
What's your opinion on that?
Speaker 2 (41:55):
Well?
Speaker 3 (41:55):
I would say, you know, it's hard to judge the
performance of him when the play calling was so much
run centric.
Speaker 1 (42:04):
Is he asking about Vilma was he asking about Dark.
Speaker 8 (42:07):
I think he's Vilma, yes, because I think Vilma is
like reducing Jackson Dark to like a pre season rookie
free agent starter. I mean, it makes them sound like, uh,
you know, he makes them sound terrible. Actually, it makes
them sound like bush league quarterback. So that's my takeaway
on that anyway, and I wanted your opinion on that.
Speaker 3 (42:29):
That's interesting. I can't comment on Vilma's play calling because
we were at the game, so not watching the TV
copy there. But I'll have to look into that, but
I will say, you know, yes, Sunday, Yeah, Sunday, Jackson
Dart's numbers weren't you know, Hall of Fame caliber. But
it's again too, you got to take into consideration what
he did versus what he was asked to do. I mean,
(42:50):
they didn't even attempt to pass until the six or
seventh play the game. You know, it was a very
run centric play calling, and you know, I think that
he was doing what he was asked to do in
that regard, and I think, you know, going up against
Flores's defense, you know, yeah, he was making decisions. Some
of them he got lucky that they weren't picked off,
(43:12):
and some of them. You know, other things happened, But
I don't necessarily say that that's a game that you
look at and watch the tape and you say this
guy doesn't have it.
Speaker 1 (43:21):
No, I agree with him totally.
Speaker 8 (43:23):
I'm not saying that Jackson Dark doesn't have I think
Jonathan Vilma doesn't have.
Speaker 1 (43:28):
Yeah, Colored, Neither one of us know and appreciate the call.
Speaker 4 (43:32):
Neither one of us know what Viilma said, because again,
we're working the game here on site, and even when
I go back and look at the old twenty two,
I'm not watching the TV or listening to the TV copy,
so and to be honest, it's irrelevant to me what
a color analyst will say. And this has nothing to
do with Jonathan Vilma, you know, because I'm looking at
the old twenty two, and I'm also talking to the
(43:54):
coaches and the players and asking them about certain things,
and you know, understanding where they were coming and from
or what they saw what they didn't see. That's more
important to me than any TV analyst talking about it
from upstairs in the booth during the course of the game.
I'm sorry, that's and that's no disrespect to any of
the guys who are in the booth because I think
(44:14):
some of them are really really good. Like I'll be
honest with you, Troy Aikman's outstanding. He's outstanding. Have you
ever listened to Aikman doing those games with when they
do football. He's really really good.
Speaker 3 (44:25):
Yeah. So, But so there's a lot of talented players
are people that are calling games in the booth, and
you know, they all see things through the lens of
their own preparation and experience. So I don't know. I
don't know what film Vilma watched of Dart to prepare
for the game. I don't know what tape or what
games of Darts he has been focusing on to develop
(44:47):
the impression of Jackson Dart that he has, right, I
don't know if he's watched all season of Jackson Dart
or maybe just the last couple of weeks. So all
of that plays into the factor of what Vilma's perception
of Jackson Dart is. But again, I would say to
Giants fans out there, trust your own eyes. I mean,
you guys have been watching these games in this team
(45:07):
for several years, if not more, and so I think
you can take it all with a grain of salt.
Whether what it's Jonathan Willma says, or Paul Detino says,
or I say, or you know, anybody else says. I
think you know, Giants fans are smart football fans, and
they've got a lot of.
Speaker 4 (45:22):
You know, there's a lot of ways to look at things.
I will only say this from what I know of
Jonathan Vilma. He's a good guy.
Speaker 6 (45:29):
Yeah.
Speaker 4 (45:29):
And Jonathan Cassius, who was a teammate of his in
New Orleans, tells me he was a good guy and
he knows his ball.
Speaker 3 (45:35):
Well, you can be a good guy and know your
ball and just have a slighted opinion on.
Speaker 4 (45:38):
Say exactly, and that's fine. That's fine. So this is
not an indictment on him. So I tell the caller
hesitate before you take significant issue with Jonathan Wilma as
an analyst. You may disagree with his opinion, and that's
perfectly fine. Everybody can have a different opinion, but you
don't have to necessarily slam the guy if you saw
(46:00):
in a different way.
Speaker 3 (46:01):
Apparently, Richard Armstrong on YouTube is chiming and saying that
Vilma was bored by the game, so we kept talking
about the Bears game. Oh, I don't know we didn't again,
didn't see the copy. But the Bears are who we
thought they were. You want to crown them, crown them.
They're coming for the NFC right now.
Speaker 4 (46:17):
Yeah, I will well, No, I didn't see the TV tape.
I don't know how I didn't see the page. Yeah,
but I will say this, it is important to me
as a viewer that the guy sticks to the game
that he's doing.
Speaker 1 (46:29):
Again, not knowing exactly what that situation.
Speaker 3 (46:32):
Was, That's fair. The Giants official connected TV streaming app,
Giants TV, brings original video content and game highlights on
demand and direct Big Blue fans. Giants TV is free
on Apple TV, Roku, and Amazon Fire TV, and on
the Giants Mobile app. To a one nine three nine
four five one three. Let's go back to the phone lines.
A perfect caller for Festivus. Here, we've got Wilson in Roxbury. Wilson,
(46:57):
you're on Big Blue Kickoff Live with Paul and Madeline.
I'm sure you've got some grievances, Sara, What do you got?
Speaker 4 (47:03):
I will start by wishing you a merry Christmas, will
safore you go into your diet?
Speaker 2 (47:08):
Okay, Look, Polly is cringing. It's cringing. Look at them,
Look at them, Pally, don't take it a personal We're
just having fun. Go ahead, look Pully, listen. Okay, hopefully
Poly after two weeks you will have to make any
more excuses for this horrendous general manager and Brian Dable
that he's gone already, because what these two guys did
to this franchise police this past three seasons is almost criminal.
(47:31):
It was a franchise mob practice. I'm just gonna leave
it at that. Okay, Uh, that's it. We'll well, we'll
start frection next year, building our foundation. That's that's not that.
And my main point is this, if some delusional giant
fans out there, a media and whatever one they want
to tell us that this kid it's a franchise quarterback,
they have to have their head exams. This kid is
(47:53):
not it. I've seen him basically live in the Blue
ten and when he's a at the Blue ten, I've
seen him for basically a whole season.
Speaker 8 (48:01):
And he's not it.
Speaker 2 (48:02):
Okay, I don't know what if you have the number
one pick and you don't pick this Fernando Mendoza, which
is a bigger kid with stronger arm and probably a
lot smarter just to get Giants fans some hope. Then
we have no hope.
Speaker 3 (48:16):
I wait, Wilson, you want the Giants to take a
quarterback number one overall when they just invested a first
round pick and trade it up for a quarterback last
season who is not only on the field but also
has been selling jerseys and creating a culture around this team.
Speaker 2 (48:33):
Madaline, I dodn't listen. They only gave up like a
paragram pick, and this kid is making a little bit
more money than backed up quarterback money.
Speaker 3 (48:41):
But what does that do to a locker room? If
you if you immediately jump off, you immediately quit on
a guy.
Speaker 2 (48:46):
Listen, listen, listen, matter listen. You know when you see
somebody you know, I've been watching for a long time.
This kid is not it. Do you take another chance?
Do you take an we can't.
Speaker 1 (48:58):
Go medal boy, We really let you just handle this call.
Speaker 3 (49:01):
But Linda, Linda, listen, Linda, Linda Wilson.
Speaker 1 (49:06):
I respect your.
Speaker 3 (49:08):
Take as a as a football fan who's been watching
football a long time. I also respect the idea that
you know, the Giants have made an investment in a player,
and they made a decision to take this player, and
I think that they are going to invest in allowing
him to have some leeway to uh to develop and
perhaps trade back instead of taking another quarterback up. You
(49:32):
might look at and say number one overall pick some
of them have been great, some of them have been
flops more often.
Speaker 2 (49:37):
That's what I'm saying, Madeline. Listen, listen, listen, Madelyne. If
you doesn't make a difference, if you don't think you
have the guy, you picked the next guy, eventually you're
gonna get it right. This kid is not it, Madeline.
Speaker 4 (49:49):
We cannot go we no, you need to answer a question,
Wilson before we let you breath another breath. I'm going
to try to help her out here because I really
wanted to let you in.
Speaker 1 (49:59):
I mean, but now I gotta get him, get it off. Now,
I got to get involved. You're so smart, Wilson.
Speaker 4 (50:05):
You've been watching football such a long time, and you
got this whole thing down. So in two thousand and four,
when Eli Manning in his rookie season.
Speaker 1 (50:15):
Was dread three thirteen, was.
Speaker 4 (50:19):
Dreadful in his rookie season until he beat the Cowboys
in the last game of the year.
Speaker 1 (50:25):
Until that point, when.
Speaker 4 (50:27):
They were as bad and as deep into the quicksand
under Eli Manning. What did you say, then, did you
think Eli Manning was any good?
Speaker 1 (50:37):
Or did you think he was no good? Answer the question.
Speaker 4 (50:41):
If you can't answer the question, you can kindly hang
up because you're not going to be part of this program.
Speaker 1 (50:47):
Answer the question, what did you think of Eli Manning?
What did you think? Pearson? He's done, he's done, he's done.
What he's done?
Speaker 3 (50:57):
Well, we got to, you know, sure, at least today
on Festivus. Here, Well, here's a problem, feeds of strength.
Speaker 1 (51:04):
Here's the problem. The problem is very simple.
Speaker 4 (51:07):
He claims that he has an eye and that he
knows football, and that he knows this guy's not the
guy yet jackson darts rookie season to this point, to
this point was far better than Eli Manning's season was
as a rookie to that point.
Speaker 1 (51:24):
I think that's a fact.
Speaker 3 (51:25):
I think Wilson is giving Jeff Probes to energy. And
what I mean by that is he is consistent in
every time he calls in, somebody else has to get
voted off the island. And you know what, nothing if
not consistent.
Speaker 4 (51:38):
All he had to do was answer the question he
could have stayed on, but he refused to answer.
Speaker 3 (51:43):
The question that's fair. Well, I think yeah, I think
I think Wilson had a lot to say, and I
respect that. I respect his his perspective and his take.
But I think we need a little bit more time.
And I think it would absolutely be a terrible idea
to one season after trading back into the first round,
getting a first round quarterback that gives you a fifth
(52:05):
year option on his contract and a player that has
not only come in and has been at times a
talented player on the football field, a game changing player,
a decisive player also in the locker room, a leader
also culturally around this team building a culture. Giants fans
are buying number six Jackson dark jerseys. You don't just
(52:28):
hop off that bandwagon because you have the number one
pick and there's no say, listen, I have a lot
of respect for Mendos. I think he's a talented college quarterback.
We don't know what that's going to translate to number
one overall picks. I mean, cam Ward's having his struggles
this season. Baker Mayfield took him several years before kind
of coming into his own and finding success. Oftentimes we
(52:51):
see a quarterback taken first. Overall, that's not immediately changing
the game for the team that they're playing for. So
what's to say that the Giants are gonna say, oh, well,
now this is the answer to all of our problems.
I think the answer to their problems is trading back
if they do end up with the number one pick,
trading back, recouping some of that draft capital that they
traded away for Jackson Dart last season and perhaps some more,
(53:14):
and stocking up on depth, because that's the biggest wall
of this team is They've got some talented starters, but
if a man goes down with an injury, the next
man up. Sometimes in some positions, the drop off is
so significant that it affects the production on the field.
Speaker 4 (53:29):
And you're one hundred percent right. If they get the
number one pick, they should trade it, have no doubt
in my mind that's what they should do. Simply put,
Jackson Dart has shown more positives this year than any
Giants rookie quarterback since Phil Simms in nineteen seventy nine.
Speaker 1 (53:45):
That's the bottom line. That's not in dispute. And you
know what, if anybody truly.
Speaker 4 (53:54):
Wanted to grade Eli Manning's future after his rookie season
when he came in for Kurt Warner and slid right
down the hill, I mean, into the depths of the
canyon until until the final game when.
Speaker 1 (54:10):
They beat the Dallas Cowboys. Ticky Barber and I was
just talking about this on the post game the other day.
Speaker 4 (54:14):
Until that game, everything that Eli did during his rookie
season was bad.
Speaker 3 (54:21):
But then his sophomore season, they turn around, they go
to the playoffs. Same with his brother, Peyton Manning. Peyton's
rookie season, he's three and thirteen is just let give
it interceptions.
Speaker 1 (54:31):
He was awful and then.
Speaker 3 (54:33):
And then now sophomore season turns it around, goes to
the playoffs, and it's now a future Hall of Famer.
So I think you can't judge a player by the
record in the rookie season, but you judge them by
the intangibles and the moments and the growth that you've seen.
And I think Jackson Dart has that in spades, and
that the certainty of what you have with Jackson Dart
(54:55):
to build off of is much more than the question
mark about a potential drafted player at quarterback. I don't
even know why we're entertaining this because there's not no
universe which that's gonna happen, but you know it is
what it is. All right, Well that's are we done?
I mean, we're done here. It's all we got, It's
(55:17):
all she wrote. I mean, the Giants have the Raiders
on Sunday. Should we talk a little bit about that game?
Speaker 1 (55:24):
Well, it's a four o'clock kickoff.
Speaker 3 (55:26):
There you go. We've got facts for you ladies and gentlemen. Paul,
are you gonna be Are you gonna be putting anything
on red or.
Speaker 1 (55:32):
Black or No?
Speaker 4 (55:33):
I don't gable at all, neither nothing. I have nothing
to do with it. So honestly, this trip for me.
You know, look, last time we went to Las Vegas.
I'm one of the biggest Elvis Presley fans.
Speaker 1 (55:44):
In the world.
Speaker 3 (55:45):
Are you really?
Speaker 4 (55:45):
Oh yeah, you jebas president? Okay, so I can't wait
till Epic comes out in February. But I had never
been to Vegas before. So when the Giants were we
went out to Vegas a couple of years ago. Got
to go see the Westgate Hotel, which was the old
Into National Hotel where Eli Eli Elvis Presley made his
comeback to live concerts in nineteen sixty nine, and it
(56:09):
was really cool.
Speaker 1 (56:10):
Because that hotel is intact.
Speaker 4 (56:12):
They've expanded it, but the basic part of that hotel
is the same. It's the same, the showroom's the same,
the lobby's the same. It's still the old International, but
it's now called the Westgate.
Speaker 1 (56:24):
That was cool.
Speaker 3 (56:25):
That's cool.
Speaker 4 (56:26):
But other than that, there's nothing there for me in
Las Vegas.
Speaker 1 (56:30):
I'm sorry, there's nothing there. Have you made there?
Speaker 4 (56:32):
By the way, Great Stadium, yeah, allegied Stadium's wild.
Speaker 3 (56:36):
When you drive by it on the freeway, there's like
a big screen on the outside that you can see.
And I would absolutely I mean, first of all, is
my high school graduating class superlative, was worst driver, so
I'm going to caveat that with this, but I would
absolutely get in a car accident because I'd be.
Speaker 1 (56:51):
Like, oh, look what's going again?
Speaker 3 (56:53):
Right boom? Yeah? Okay, anyway, but Great Stadium very high tech.
And then he got the spear over there too, which
is pretty cool.
Speaker 4 (57:00):
And you know it was opened at the time I
was there, and I walked past it and I'm like,
it's a giant glowing marble.
Speaker 3 (57:08):
Yeah, is it? Absolutely?
Speaker 7 (57:12):
Is?
Speaker 1 (57:12):
I you know. I guess if I was inside, will
they come up with next?
Speaker 4 (57:16):
I don't know, but if I was inside, maybe saw
something in there, maybe I'd be like really freaked out.
But walking past it, I'm like, Okay, it's a big
giant glowing marble.
Speaker 3 (57:25):
Yeah again, big deal, it's shiny whatever. Before we wrap
it up, I just have to give credit to Peter
Ward twelve eighty five on YouTube, who has come up
with a tremendous idea, and Pearson, I feel like you
could produce this. We need to put Wilson and Charlie
on an island and let them argue it out. I
mean that would give First Take a run for its money.
Speaker 1 (57:48):
Can I produce remotely?
Speaker 2 (57:51):
Not on the island?
Speaker 1 (57:53):
Good call, Pierson.
Speaker 3 (57:54):
I am here for it. Listen. I appreciate the passion
that the fans are bringing. Whether or not we agree
with you, I think it's a fantastic thing to have
people that's invested. And we shall see. But you know what,
the week goes on Week seventeen Giants Raiders, have fun
in Vegas, have a happy holiday.
Speaker 2 (58:16):
No show tomorrow or on Christmas, but we'll be back Friday.
Speaker 3 (58:19):
Oh there we go. Yeah, yes, Programming Alert. We'll have
Christmas even Christmas Day off. Spend some time with your family,
watch some NBA and NFL go oh Nick, thanks for
listening to today's episode of Big Blue Kickoff Live, which
is part of the Giants Podcast Platforms Everywhere and Giants
dot Com Slash podcast for Puldatino. I'm Madeline Burke. Happy holidays,
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