Patron Saints of Humiliation

The ball was right on target to a wide open Jeremy Shockey. Fourth down and 2 and the Giants are going for it at midfield with time running short in the first half. Without a soul around him, the whole Giants season is on the line as the ball drifts through the air in slow motion. Shockey has used the media to air his frustrations with Coach Tom Coughlin, and his latest NY Post column before the game made a sarcastic reference to the Giants quitting before his not so reassuring reassurance that they would continue to fight hard. Well, he didn’t fight the demons in his mind hard enough as he tried to start running before catching the ball and then didn’t catch it. On a day where, incredibly, the Giants would not run a play in Saints territory all day, this was their best chance and could have given the Giants a 14-13 lead at the half if they got the endzone.

Instead Shockey’s drop was just another nail in a 30-7 coffin built for the Feel Bad Giants by the Feel Good Saints. Of all people who would lose concentration and drop an easy ball, bouncing softly off both hands, Shockey might cause the most anger to a Giants fan. Shockey’s mind was running down the field like a hero, but his hands were hoof-like and clumsy like the limbs of a goat. After losing 6 of their last 7 games (only beating the Panthers with crummy backup Chris Weinke), Giants are humiliating and disgracing themselves to new lows.

On the opposite side of the ball, look at the joy created by the Saints. My first memory of the Saints was the Sports Illustrated pic of a fan with a paper bag over his head from their worst-ever 1-16 season. The Saints have known true humiliation and have suffered in small market anonymity while the fat cats laughed. That they would turn around the whole image of their franchise in one season is amazing – that the one season would take place in the year after Hurricane Katrina is an incredible storybook moment for the league and the people of Nawlins.

The Saints are even led by a short, underdog QB who was castoff by the Chargers, Drew Brees. Brees showed incredible poise leading his team and great skill with his passes, such as the fade to Marques Colston in the corner of the endzone in the second quarter – totally untouchable to the Giants db McQuarters, totally pluckable from the air for Colston. While the Giants blew their fourth down conversion, Saints converted all three of theirs, on the patience in the pocket and the arm of Brees or on the strong legs of the line-samshing Deuce McAllister.

And lets not forget super-rookie Reggie Bush. One play after getting popped backwards by Giants safety Will Demps, Bush got the ball again, ran into traffic, and seemed to momentarily disappear, only to re-appear, Matrix-like, 10 feet away with confused defenders attempting to catch up.

Saints show what heart and determination can do. Giants show what bickering and selfishness can undo.

Which is why Grind It Out Sports is predicting a BIG Redskins victory tonight. Skins have had a lost season but have a lot of talent and are licking their chops at the Giants limping into town. Knocking the Giants out of the playoffs would be a season highlight for the Skins. Meanwhile, the Giants have quit. They want the season to be over. They don’t even want to be in the playoffs, they think an 8-8 record and first round loss would be an even greater humiliation, so they have declined to even try. (Brandon Jacobs in a frank interview confirms this). They all want Coughlin fired and their mutiny will be evident tonight. Look for a big loss.

Beavers….Damn!
Changing gears, how awesome was the Oregon State Beavers victory over Missouri in the Sun Bowl. Trailing by one with 24 ticks remaining, Beavers eschew the easy tie and boldly go for the two point conversion, and their running back Bernard smashed it through right into the teeth of the D on one huge play for their program. Gotta love a coach who isn’t afraid to put it all on the line. This is the Beavers second stirring splash of the season after their victory over USC. How much of a joy was it to have the Trojans’ loss take the wind out of the hype-blown sails of the all-villain, Alien vs. Predator match of USC vs. Notre Dame. The little sticks of the Beavers efforts have come together to create a mighty favorite-blocking dam this year.