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Giants Redskins Recap: Rant & Rave 2016

Ouch!  Yesterday flat-out still stings.   The loss to the Redskins will hurt for a few days.  Because there is no game balls to give out, I am bringing back the popular…Rant & Rave for 2016.  Read it, Tweet it, Share it and drop your response!

From the stadium, sometimes you get a unique perspective of the game and the energy that comes with it, yet other times you need to pull out your phone and go @Twitter for an update, a recap, a video clip and the fan reactions because your view from the seats has no replay!

Rant: The offense for the Giants right now looks reserved.    It doesn’t feel or look like the wide open game it has been in the past.  While it is early, for the love of the football gods can someone tell McAdoo to flip over the card and try a roll out, play action pass in the flat, a screen pass…something.  By the 3rd quarter, the dive up the middle was predictable.

Rave:  Holy smokes…Sterling Shepard can play.   He took a big hit from Josh “Normally Dirty” Norman and popped right up flexing all 5′ 10″ of him.  He runs great routes, he uses his hands well, positions his body for the big catch and seems to be fitting in perfectly with Cruz and Beckham.   It might be a race for him and Eagles QB Carson Wentz for Offensive ROY.

Rant:  The defensive is VASTLY improved…and yet they still struggle to force turnovers and sacks.   Is Vernon’s hand and JPP’s shoulder that banged up?    The time Cousins had to throw the rock was disgusting.   The Giants have had success in the past and recently with safety and corner blitzes…bring them.  Lets Cousins try to beat you with his arm…it isn’t happening.

Rave: Shane Vereen is a major loss, but now it’s Orleans Darkwa’s time.   Everyone from the clubhouse manager to the fan sitting in the upper deck knows this guy can run. He gets his chance against a very stout Defensive in Minnesota and I agree that he’s up to the challenge.   Let’s not forget Bobby Rainey made this team over Andre Williams and he did not disappoint on Sunday with a sweet screen and run after the catch.

Rant:  Will Tye?  When you have Cruz, Shep and OBJ…what is Eli thinking trying to thread the needle to Will Tye with a safety draped on his back.  Even McAdoo said in the post game press conference that he “thought the Tight End would break-up the ball across the DB’s face.”  Well, that didn’t happen…and truthfully it should have never been thrown to Tye anyway.  He wasn’t open.

Rave:  Bobby Hart did a very nice job.  Kerrigan is a pretty good defensive end and truth be told…he seems to have his best game against the Giants every year since the Skins drafted him.  Hart filled in for Newhouse and I do not see a reason to go back if and when he’s healthy.

Rant:  The refs sucked on Sunday.   I don’t want to hear about how we can’t complain about the refs.   The NFL has a very complex grading system.   These guys want to grade out high for playoff work and NFL playoff money.  Even funnier is that these refs get to “self evaluate” their own game tape and if they think they were graded unfairly…get to formally appeal.  UGH!   Sunday felt like nothing but ego.   There was plenty of evidence to overturn the Desean Jackson catch…but that might “ding” one of the evaluations.  They replayed the “no catch” 10 times on 4 screens the size of Empire State Building, it was identical to Dez Bryant play in week 1.  The ball hits the ground, the receivers hand is under the ball, the ground pops the ball up….the receiver traps it.  No Catch!

Bonus:  Weston Richburg is a nasty dude.   He’s big, mean and a damn good center.   Throwing him out seems to be a punishment way worse than the crime.  Isn’t everyone pissed when they received a penalty?   I don’t take Richburg as a complainer, so while he owned up to the mistake his words after the game have me wondering was there more going on?

It sounded like Richburg and the ref had squared off earlier in the game.  It would make sense that the league look into it.   The NFL fines players weeks after an “off the field” or an “on the field” incident.  Was the ref being professional?   Sounds like he was a distraction to the player or worse…verbally arguing with him.  Where does that come in during the evaluation process?

@NYGiantsRush