Experts and Clowns:The New York Giants, Eli Manning, Tom Coughlin, and Philip Rivers?

Oh fellow sports fans are you in for a treat today! There is nothing like a complete noob to Expert and Clowns getting a taste of there overthrowing chair of king. Where what I say goes and no need for a mute button todays boys and girls cuz daddy got the chalkboard baby.

As usual our panel of AC Sportswriter are joined together at the hips today to talk about the next Super Bowl Champions...........wait, better not go there just yet still another week to go. So we'll talk about the New York Giants instead, sorry Zac and Jake had to do it. Today we have:

Jake "The Snake" Emen: The man of no faces, just some typing heaven. A good assessment is that Jake reminds me of the Great Oz. Never seen only heard.

Zac "Saved By The Bell" Wassink:Zac is a cool cat, but if he calls me "SIR" one more time while I @#$%#&^^&@#$. I should just go ahead and start you off with negative points for that, but I'll keep that in my back pocket for later.

Nick "Oscar" Meyer: I'm afraid to ask how many times you've been called that Nick over the course of your schooling. Hey to anyone out there Nick is looking for some writing work if anyone has anything. Actually I may myself Nick, let you know in a bit.

"Flyin" Brian Joura: The guy is like Mr. Incredible. One day he's supposedly going to cover a game somewhere next thing you know he's back here writing about cereal and legalizing prostitution (which was a good article by the way).

All right, since most of you haven't seen this before lets go over the ground rules so you don't get lost along the way. The idea is for YOU the reader to decide at the end who is the Expert and who is the Clown based on the answers to 4 different questions. I will be grading on my own and for all you "smart arses" out there, I cannot be picked as the clown! My comments will be in italics. Scoring goes as follows:

2:points best answer
1:point for making a good point
0:because you aren't creative
-1:because you shouldn't have given an answer
-2:because your name is Earl

Alright fellas lets get to it:

The Giants game this past week was -2 and -24 with the wind chill factor. If someone gave you free tickets for the 50-yard line, would you go, knowing that you would sit outside for 3-4 hours in those conditions?

Jake "The Snake" Emen: Of course, I'm a Giants fan! Even not knowing the outcome of the game, the NFC Championship game in Lambeau Field, The Frozen Tundra, with your favorite team... for free? Yes sir! There is an easy 2 part solution for this problem: liquor + layers.

Zac "Saved By The Bell" Wassink: With my team playing for a chance to go to the Super Bowl? Is this really a question? Hell yes I would sit at the 50 and watch Big Blue play in the NFC Championship Game. I'd be grateful for the free tickets, too.

Nick "Oscar" Meyer: I also can't believe this is even a question. If you wouldn't go then you're either not a die-hard fan or you're one of those stuck-up southern football fans who think the sport is meant to be played in 70-degree weather every game. Some of my fondest football memories as a Michiganian have been sitting out in the freezing cold on a Friday night with a 50-cent cup of hot chocolate in my hand. NFL Divisional Playoff games don't come along too often so I'd have to go.

"Flyin" Brian Joura: Not a chance in hell. Hockey fans will tell you that their sport is the best one to see live. While that's debatable, I think it's pretty clear that football is the worst sport to see in person. There are never-ending delays in the action, which is made only worse due to replay. Sitting for 3-4 hours in that temperature - no thanks. But while I would not do it, I think we need to recognize the fans that did it in both Green Bay and Foxborough. What's that beer commercial where they salute heroes? Well, complete with over-the-top 80s singer in the background, I salute the fans who sat through the championship games.

Huh, so if you were offered the going rate of $1,000-$2,000 for two tickets at the 50 yard line you wouldn't sell them go to the nearest bar, stay warm and watch the game their with hundreds of fans? Jake, Zac, and Nick all get -1 point for not even considering that and Brian gets 1 point because he said he wouldn't go so I know he'd take the lute. Jake gets 2 points for pointing out the ABSOLUTE solution with liquor + layers, Zac gets another -1 for calling the Giants "Big Blue" which sounds like a freakin' high school team, Brian gets -2 for saying football is even more boring in person than golf or nascar, and Nick, uhm.....**thinking** you get 1 point for sounding old with your "50-cent cup of hot chocolate". So after round one the scores are:

Jake "The Snake":1

Nick "Oscar":0

"Flyin" Brian:-1

Zac "Saved By The Bell":-2

Next Question:

Would you have benched Rivers in the AFC Title Game?

Zac "Saved By The Bell" Wassink: Absolutely and I'm tired of people questioning this. Volek played well enough the week before the AFC Title Game to deserve a shot. Rivers was a gamer, yes, but he was the one-legged man out there. His passes had absolutely no zip on them and practically every ball was an interception waiting to happen. He wasn't 100 percent and did more harm then good. Big shock here but the Sports Guy is wrong on this one.

Nick "Oscar" Meyer: I think so, based on how he was looking out there. Plus Billy Volek is one of those guys who has the ability to get hot and throw the ball downfield. Rivers wouldn't have liked the change but you have to try something when you're QB is clearly hurting the team with bad interceptions like Rivers was.

"Flyin" Brian Joura: With stud backup Billy Volek leading the charge in the Colts game, this is a reasonable question. But good coaches don't go out of their way to create quarterback controversies, which this would have done, regardless of what Volek would have accomplished versus the Patriots. Especially with the news that Rivers underwent surgery earlier in the week just to be able to play, you don't know what benching him would have done for his psyche. I think removing him would have been a bad, bad decision.

Speaking of bad decisions, why did Norval Eugene opt to punt down by two scores at the New England 36-yard line with 9:21 remaining? Fourth and 10 is a terrible position to be in, but they should have approached it as four-down territory once they crossed midfield. The two previous drives by the Patriots went for 67 and 65 yards and their running game was wearing down the Chargers' defense. It may have been surprising that New England was able to run out the clock completely, but it should not have caught anyone off guard that the Patriots were able to move the ball and chew up time under the circumstances. Not giving the offense a chance to score was a much worse transgression than showing faith in your young starting quarterback.

Jake "The Snake" Emen: Without being in that locker room and around the team all week, it's hard to really make an accurate judgment call. You don't know how much the team rallied around him, and after the fact, it sounds like they did great. From the outside looking in, yes, I bench him. Watching that lame duck interception late in the first half I said out loud Philip Rivers just threw away the game. The last we saw of Volek he won the previous game, and the team rallied around him then... so I give him that opportunity to do it.

As much as I would like to give you -2 saying that a guy that goes 3/4 for 48 yards played well enough to start. But he did get them into position so that counts for something but why do you think they continued running the ball up the middle from the 12 yard line there until he finally pulled the QB sneak? Because Norveus thought he'd throw an interception. All valid points here so everyone gets 1 point each. Brian gets an additional 2 for bringing up the 4th and 10 that I've been pondering over myself. Nick gets -1 for thinking that Rivers interceptions hurt the team, because only in New England can you trip a quarterback as he's throwing (Vrabel) and let Samuel intercept the first one which later resulted in a touchdown. The second one was meaningless and didn't Brady have 3 interceptions? The fact that they had to kick field goals while inside the 10 yard line 3 times was what cost them the game.

Jake gets 1 point for going all political on us and Zac, he doesn't get anymore because I really want to give him -2! After round 2.............

"Flyin" Brian: 3

Jake "The Snake": 3

Nick "Oscar": 0

Zac "Saved By The Bell": -1

Next Question:

The firing of Tom Coughlin has been a hot topic in New York for over a year, until now. Has he or should he have gained some leeway for a
few years due to this postseason run?

Nick "Oscar" Meyer: Reports of Coughlin lightening up and being more buddy-buddy with his players were surfacing before the year started and I think that seems to be the difference with this year's team. The players all seemed very happen for him after the Green Bay win and I think he is finally learning to toe the line between hard-ass and player's coach and that should buy him all the time he needs if the Giants keep winning.

"Flyin" Brian Joura: One year removed from a 13-win season and with a Super Bowl title on his resume, the Ravens fired Brian Billick, so no NFL coach should feel comfortable. Coughlin has a reputation for running his players into the ground, yet we hear that he's changed his style this season. I don't think being an excessive disciplinarian, which is what he was prior to 2007, wins you any points with the players. And if your players quit on you, then you deserve to be fired, regardless of your pedigree.

Jake "The Snake" Emen: No, because I strongly feel that the success of the Giants has been despite Tom Coughlin and his couching staff (minus Steve Spagnuolo). Let's take a trip back to the NFC Championship game in Green Bay. Eli Manning is playing great, Plaxico Burress is playing out of his mind and the Giants have the ball with 6 minutes left. So clearly, what do you do? Try to run out the clock, before you score or get into scoring position, and run the ball repeatedly and unsuccessfully. You miss the field goal, think you would try for a touch down, and you run the ball again and miss another field goal. You get into overtime, you intercept a pass that gives you great field position. You run the ball, and your kicker bails you out, finally. Additionally, when are they going to learn that Brandon Jacobs is not an inside the tackle goal line rusher? That they have been absolutely wasting the prime of Jeremy Shockey? Sigh, I digress, I hate Tom Coughlin, he should've been fired after last season, but he of course earned enough credit in the front office of the Giants organization to now be worry free for at least 2 more seasons.

Zac "Saved By The Bell" Wassink: I'd say he has gained some leeway. Taking a team that I predicted to go 7-9 in my season preview to the Super Bowl has given Coughlin a few years at least. What's more impressive is the way that Coughlin seems to have changed. The Giants are truly playing like a team and are 100 percent behind Coughlin. Maybe this has something to do with the disappearance of Tiki Barber though.

hahaha, I love listening to Giants fans discuss a topic like this as their team is in the Super Bowl. Brian gets 1 point for pointing out the Billick firing, but -2 for saying no NFL coach should feel comfortable when Hoodie is over there getting to the Super Bowl 4 out of the last 7 years. I think he's pretty secure. Jake gets -2 for thinking there is a coup de ta or however the hell you spell it going on in New York and another -1 for judging their use of Shockey when they are in the Freakin' Super Bowl! Nick gets 1 point for acknowledging the obvious that players were happy with him after their win in Green Bay. He also gets -1 for acknowledging the obvious that the Giants players were happy with Coughlin after their win in Green Bay.

Zac gets 2 points for telling everyone he picked his favorite team to go 7-9 and they shut him up with a Super Bowl birth which for him is a win/win~ Nice going

"Flyin" Brian: 2

Zac "Saved By The Bell": 1

Jake "The Snake": 0

Nick "Oscar": 0

Last Question Make It Count:

Which qb would u rather have at this point? Eli or Philip Rivers?

"Flyin" Brian Joura: I'll give you first choice and I'll be happy with whichever player is left for me. Eli came through in tough conditions and deserves a lot of credit for the Giants reaching the Super Bowl. But let's not underestimate the defensive job that New York turned in. They made Favre look like the "ready to retire" QB we all thought he was heading into this season. But Rivers played fantastic for a player coming off surgery six days previously, especially going up against an undefeated squad in almost equally inhospitable conditions. I do think it is instructive that Eli leads the team to the Super Bowl once the veteran running back (Tiki Barber) who was undermining his leadership was out of the picture. LT2 is a great, great player. But he's not doing the team any favors with questioning his quarterback, as he has done in the past.

I don't think there's any doubt that both Emmitt Smith and Michael Irvin were better football players than Troy Aikman. But those three accomplished a lot together in large part because Smith and Irvin deferred to Aikman on the leadership role. May Rivers experience that one day, too.
Jake "The Snake" Emen: It's Eli Manning. In the beginning of the season, it wasn't, but I don't think there can be any real question about this right now. 3 playoff road wins, no interceptions, missing your favorite target... it goes on. Overshadowed by Eli's struggles were some huge inconsistencies and some downright stinkers laid by Philip Rivers. Yes, he made quite the "courageous" effort in the Championship Game by playing injured; I put that in quotes because nothing you get paid millions and millions of dollars to do out on a football field is qualified as courageous. Kevin Everett recovering from his injury and powering through rehabilitation to walk again and recover completely is courageous; playing with an injured ACL is tough, that's it.

Zac "Saved By The Bell" Wassink: Eli is my boy. I can't believe I'm writing that and not being sarcastic. I'd take the younger Manning, though. He's been the most consistent quarterback this post-season and I'm comfortable with him leading the Giants into the Super Bowl. Besides, Rivers is a jackass and I wouldn't want him near my team. You may have to ask me this question again in two weeks, though.

Nick "Oscar" Meyer: After much thought I'd have to go with Eli based on his arm strength above all else. Rivers' combination of a lesser arm and lack of quickness as well as injury history makes him a liability at times. I won't knock Rivers too much for his bad attitude because he is a tough guy who will play through just about any injury and he's also a competitor. But Eli has shown that he can be a very good QB when he plays with confidence. Don't forget how calm and in command he looked at Ole Miss just like his brother. This is coming from a former Eli hater mind you, but winning in Lambeau will do wonders for his confidence and that was always the only thing missing.

Brian gets 1 point for going through is philosophies, but -1 for letting someone else choose a quarterback and letting him keep the leftovers. Jake gets 2 points for drawing out what courageous really means and sticking by his Manning boy. lmao! Zac gets 2 points for sticking again with Eli and not being sarcastic, but gets -1 for calling Philip Rivers a jackass! Nick gets 2 points for the best answer!

Final Totals:

"Flyin" Brian: 2

Zac "Saved By The Bell": 2

Jake "The Snake": 2

Nick "Oscar": 2

Alright, it is up to you the readers to decide on who wins this edition of Experts & Clowns by simply leaving a comment below of who you voted for. The voting will last until next week's edition where a winner will be announced!

Also because this is becoming more popular for every person that puts the old DIGG on this article, I will personally DIGG one of your articles. If it weren't for you we wouldn't be.

GOOD NIGHT NOW!