John Clayton is a senior NFL writer for ESPN.com. Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.


I love this trade we finally got smart and decied instead of wasting another first round pick on a DE we would trade for a ALLSTAR DE.

We now have the best DLine in teh NFL along with the best Left side of teh OLine and in a weak divison with the bears and a Aaron Rogers lead packers, im feeling 13 wins

I like the Vikings' chances too. If they had Jared Allen last year they would have definitely made the playoffs.

you can succeed in the NFL with no QB IMO

It's true. The Giants won the Superbowl didn't they?

eli manning 2007 postseason stats

60.5 completion percentage, 95.7 QB rating, 6 TDs, one INT

they won because of him not in spite of him

They won because of their defense. Eli Manning just had to avoid making mistakes.

their defense got them to a reasonable deficit and eli finished the job. it wouldnt have mattered how good their D had played because they still would have lost if it wasn't for eli making the plays at the end of the game.

And Eli's occasional touchdown pass wouldn't have meant much if the defense allowed 30 points every game. The defense's ability to keep the game close is what allowed Eli to be so cautious. If he was constantly trying to make up the deficit you would see his normal INT numbers.

Eli Manning is a a stud QB and I've thought that for a while, but of course he'll never be thought of it due to unrealistic expectations.

1:1 TD/INT ratio isn't stud.

If Trent Dilfer can be a Super Bowl winning QB then anyone can.

you thought he was cautious on the last drive?

in a relative sense I think eli was a more valuable contributor to the giants win. hypothetically you could say if the defense didn't slow them down he would have been more erratic but I'm talking about what actually happened on the field.

That's fine, but you're wrong.

now that you put it that way I guess you've convinced me

Glad I could help.

what's funny is that your beloved donovan mcnabb hasn't accomplished one tenth of what eli has in the postseason.

one will be remembered for throwing up in the huddle and throwing 2 of his 3 superbowl INTs inside of pats territory and the other will be remembered for making one of the greatest plays in the history of the super bowl and driving his team for the go ahead TD against what would have been the best team of all time with one more win.

which one would you rather have?

McNabb has made 4 NFC Conference finals and 1 Superbowl which he lost on a field goal. Manning has had one successful postseason and he was carried by the best defense in the NFL. Give McNabb Plaxico (or Boldin), and he'll show you what a real QB can do.

And if you're asking which QB I would rather have for 2008/2009, ignoring the other players on their respective teams, it's McNabb.

The Giants have absolutely no secondary. The defense got lucky that Belichick was too stubborn to change what he was doing to neutralize the pressure. That same best defense gave up 38 points the last week of the regular season.

you consider a trip to the NFC title game a successful postseason? the only team that can say that their postseason was a success is the one who ends up winning the super bowl.

No? It's only a disappointment if you fall below your expectations. The Patriots postseason was a disappointment, but any of the other 30 teams in the NFL would consider making the Superbowl a success.

Steve Spangnolo specifically said they were only going to use half their defensive plays incase they met in the postseason.

who sets these expectations? the media? the fans?

you think andy reid tells his players before the season that it's alright if you lose the super bowl because you weren't expected to win?

the goal of every team in the NFL is to win a super bowl not contend for one.

First off on the last drive eli threw a INT that was droped by samuel.

and healthy AP can easily get 1500 yards.

T-Jack got better during the last 8 or so games last year all he has to do is not throw INTs

And ya trent dilfer won a fucking super bowl

Every team says they WANT to win the Superbowl but they don't EXPECT to. Do you really think the Miami Dolphins are going into this season expecting to win the Superbowl? Hell no. In fact, if they even squeaked into the playoffs as the last wildcard seed, they'd be ecstatic.

go vikez

never did I say every team expects to win the super bowl. I said every team's ultimate goal is to win it and falling any short of it is a disappointment by their own standards. I bet fans of the dolphins would be ecstatic if they made the playoffs but if the players are satisfied with just a berth in the playoffs then they don't have the mindset of a successful NFL player.

if a head coach in the NFL says to his players that the team's goal is to simply make the playoffs then he isn't doing his job.

Yeah he is. If your team is ass and you keep telling them that their goal is to win the Superbowl they're going to get really unmotivated. Coaches set reasonable, attainable goals for their team. If you're a perennial playoff team then your goal is to reach the Superbowl, and possibly win. If you're a bottom dweller, then your goal is to try and reach .500 and make the playoffs. Do you really think Bill Parcells' goal for 2008 is to win the Superbowl? No, it isn't, and he's not going to tell his team that.

how would you even know what motivates an NFL player?

lol do you think there is some universal standard for the goals of a team based on their record the previous year?

WE WENT 4-12 LAST YEAR SO THIS YEAR WE EXPECT TO WIN 7 GAMES!!! ONE DAY WE'LL BE IN THE SUPER BOWL GUYS YOU JUST WAIT

Yeah

I'll put the rockshu defense to good use here

WELL YOU'RE WRONG

GOOD LEARNIN BRO

niggaz

this thread has been tainted

good fun up until this

ALX IS WINNER

It was tainted when you showed up with your girl eyelashes

you come up with this stuff all by yourself?

ALX GET POOPED ON!!!!!!!!!!

SFT

I work with what I got.