The Eli Game is something very familiar to fans of the World Champion New York Football Giants. We have dealt with them since his first year. It is something that this team has overcome to win a Division and a Super Bowl over the last few years. Last night was the prototypical Eli Game. The Eli Game is not always Eli’s fault. He is not blameless either. As I, and many of my fellow fans of the World Champions, were feeling good about this season, it was the one thing that always crept into our head. When will we see it? Well, I guess last night was as good as anytime. You see Eli doesn’t give you the Eli game at the biggest moment. He has a knack for the big moment. He gives you the Eli game at the inopportune time though. Last night, a win would have given the Champs a 2+ game cushion in the NFC East. Dallas is hurting, the Skins may or may not be very good and the Eagles are an enigma now playing without Brian Westbrook. It was the perfect time for Eli to put the team in the driver’s seat. Instead he will keep us and them sweating a little. Typical Eli. Typical Giants. (World Champion New York Football Giants!)

Hey Gilbride, This guy was effective. Keep using him.

Hey Gilbride, This guy was effective. Keep using him.

First, to understand the Eli game we need to look at the circumstances. The First is play calling. Last night, the WCNYFBG were running the ball down the Browns fucking throats. They were averaging six yards a carry. Jacobs and Ward were just killing them. So with first and ten on the Browns 30, they go for a pass and it is incomplete. WHY? Because Kevin Gilbride got too cute. No need to throw there. Keep running. Instead, they run for 3 on second down and have a third and seven. Eli’s bread an butter has been Steve Smith in the slot. A perfect 7 yard play. Instead they get greedy and go for Plax who is in tight coverage. Eli doesn’t check down, the safety came over and picked it. Why? Because they feel some silly need to get Plax the ball. As much as Tony Kornheiser kills me, he was right. They were forcing Plax the ball. When Eli is given orders like that (i.e. The Shockey Years) it seriously diminishes his abilities. For Eli to be successful you need him to stay within himself. He is by no means a “game manager” but stop having him force the issue. It’s not his game. He is not a pinpoint thrower. Never has been. He gets it to the spot. Stop trying to force him to get it to the exact spot. The play calling all night from Gilbride killed him. Starting the second half, after a great drive to score ending the first half, he has Eli throw a 25 yard pass in a 17-14 game. They are only down three, the defense is playing like horseshit and this team could take it’s time and score. They are at their best as a ball control team. Don’t get cute. It is a hostile environment on Monday night. They didn’t need to score 4 touchdowns. Gilbride is notorious for this. Last year, against the Redskins at home, he had Eli throw over 40 times in a 50MPH wind when the running game was effective. Just fucking stupid. My point, if you see Eli is off don’t give him more chances to flash his wares.

Now play calling only goes so far. Not all of it is Gilbride’s fault. Some of it falls on his receivers. On the 25 yard out pattern, Plaxico decided to turn into the middle of the field. I could tell by Eli’s face that the play was supposed to be an out. Plax saw the middle of the field wide open and took it. Now, Eli sometimes sees this but he had Shaun Rogers fat fucking ass going for his knees all night. Eli had no time to create. He needed to make the play. Plax should have recognized this. This is not unique. His receivers for years took on their own interpretation of the offense. Plax is a gifted receiver and should be given a chance to create. Eli knows this. But should Sinorice Moss? No. Those type of receivers have a tendency to run bad routes. Do you want to know why Toomer and now Hixon are successful with Eli. They always run the proper route allowing Eli less time to think. Steve Smith is doing everything Jeremy Shockey was supposed to do. When Eli was dealing with his Divas, it left too much time to think and for a QB with jumpy feet and not a pinpoint arm, bad things happen.

My last point is Eli himself. That last pick was a total brain fart. Why Eli? We have these “Why Eli?” moments sometimes. Less frequently these days. The entire Minnesota game last year was a why Eli moment. Just bad passes. There was no reason to throw that ball. He did. Pick six. Ball game. Now, when the pressure is on Eli he is terrific. Look at the final drive of the first half. Don’t think, just do and he is a fantastic quarterback. When he is given too much time to roam and think he tries to create. He is not a creative guy. That is not a knock. Very few great quarterbacks are. Tom Brady is not creative. He is a pinpoint precision guy who knows his team and his offense and those guys have better be in their spots. That is not a knock either. Being great within your system is a hell of a achievement. Look at the rings. Kevin Gilbride for some reason gives him too much room to think in certain spots. But Eli also shows poor recognition in these spots too. He should have seen he had nothing and just threw it away or ate it. Eli also has a knack for putting it in the wrong spot. As with the last interception. That ball needed to be over the receiver’s shoulder. High enough for only the receiver to get it. Instead he threw it number level to Toomer and left Eric Wright an opportunity to make the play. It was a terrific catch by Wright but still he should have had no chance at all.

I guess the point of all this is to say, for the 90% good that Eli gives, you have to take the 10% bad. He could have bailed out a shitty defense last night and won a shootout. The team could have recognized the shitty defense and run the ball more. All the talk about comparing him to his brother is just talk. He is not Peyton. But I have said and will say to the end, Eli will have more championships. Why? Because the Colts will always need Peyton to perform for the team to be successful. The Champs will have to have Eli be successful but will rely on other elements to win. They play in a windy, cold weather stadium. The WCNYFBG will always be built around the lines and the running game. The difference now is that they have never had a quarterback this good. But they as a team need to harness his power and make these mistake laden games an aberration and not the norm. I have a feeling we will see another one or two this year. But that is better than 5 or 6 and that means the Champs will still be very successful and very good.

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