Author: metbaseball

Not Expecting Much from Giant 2016 Draft

Posted on by metbaseball

Based on their past draft performance, I don’t have high expectations about how the New York Giants will do in the 2016 draft. They have two many needs: defense line, safety, linebacker, offensive line, end, running back. So where do they start? With the “best” player available? Unfortunately, since Joe Don Looney they have not been that good at identifying them. For example, in 2012 their pick of David Wilson seemed to be an overreaction pick after the Bucs selected Doug Martin the pick before. Both Bobby Wagner and Lavonte David were still available, but then the Giants rarely draft linebackers in the first few rounds. (Who’s behind that thinking?) Further, in 2016, the top two linebackers, Jaylon Smith and Miles Jack, are both recovering from significant injuries, which should make them even less attractive to the Giants. They need help NOW. The next highest-rated linebacker, Leonard Floyd, is rated #13 on NFL.com’s top 100, but he only weighs 231, NFL.com labelling him “painfully thin.” In 2015, the Giants were the ninth worst against the run, so if they were going to draft a linebacker, they need a run stopper.

Safety? They are as weak at safety as Popeye is without his spinach. NFL.com gives their top-rated safety, Duke’s Jeremy Cash, only a 5.68 rating. That is not a rating worthy of a #10 pick. Further, NFL.com states that “Cash is much too stiff to be asked to make a living in coverage and any team considering him will likely view him as a box safety,” something the Giants do not need to spend a high pick on. So, let’s eliminate the safety position as the one to spend a top pick on.

To be continued

Football Giants Losing the Draft Game

Posted on by metbaseball

A recent article on nj.com had this title: “Giants’ late-round draft record among NFL’s worst with Jerry Reese at GM.” The article was a followup to a question to Giants GM Jerry Reese about the Giants’ poor draft performance in the lower rounds: “Have you researched that? Do you know that for a fact?” Reese said. “OK, until you know that for a fact, then I don’t think you should say that. That’s just my opinion. If you know that for a fact, then you can tell me that. But give me the facts on that.”

The author of the article, Jordan Raanan, did just that. Followup research revealed that the Giants ranked near the bottom from 2007-13 in Rounds 3-7. (See Raanan’s article for the details.)

But how could Reese NOT know that? Doesn’t his department gather data on their draft performance versus the other NFL teams? If they do, isn’t he aware of it? Worse, if they don’t, why not?

Here are some of the Giants recent draft busts:

  • Damontre Moore (Round 3)
  • Adrien Robinson (Round 4)
  • Brandon Mosley (Round 4)
  • Marvin Austin (Round 2)
  • Jerell Jernigan (Round 3)
  • James Brewer (Round 4)
  • Phillip Dillard (Round 4)
  • Clint Simtim (Round 2)
  • Ramses Barden (Round 3)

Here are some of their recent draft misses:

  • In 2013 they drafted Damontre Moore in Round 3. Still available when they drafted: Logan Ryan and Jordan Reed.
  • In 2012 they drafted Reuben Randle in Round 2. Still available when they drafted: Dwayne Allen and Mohamed Sanu.
  • In 2012 they drafted Jayron Hosley in Round 3. Still available when they drafted: Lamar Miller and Bobby Massie.
  • In 2012 they drafted Adrien Robinson and Brandon Mosley in Round 4: Still available when they drafted: Josh Norman and Alfred Morris.
  • And so on

 

 

 

 

Have the football Giants off-season moves been offensive?

Posted on by metbaseball

As a football Giants fan, after observing Jerry Reese’s 2015 free agency moves to date, I fully expect next season’s team to again NOT make the playoffs despite Odell Beckham’s presence. 

The Giants are a team with a quarterback who makes poor decisions under pressure. In 2014, his quarterback rating when not under pressure, according to Pro Football Focus, was 100.7; but when Manning was under pressure, watch out: His QB rating dropped to 58.6. (Remember last season’s five-interception game against the 49ers. I still cannot believe that Coughlin left him in the game long enough to throw five. Just shows Coughlin’s confidence in backup Ryan Nassib.) 
 
But back to Manning. Given the huge difference that a good offensive line  can make (such as the Cowboys have), I hoped the Giants would use the off-season to upgrade their line. But what have they done? One thing is they signed a CFL center. Another is they cut J. D. Walton. Then, in free agency, they signed Marshall Newhouse. His 2013 Pro Football Focus rating for the regular season was -9.7, lower than even Guy Whimper’s. (Remember him?) And Newhouse’s PFF rating after the 2014 season: -11.6. According to bigblueview.com, “Newhouse has never received a positive score from PFF for a full season.” Then, they resigned John Jerry. Dan Graziano of ESPN wrote that Jerry’s “Pro Football Focus run-blocking grade was minus-16.4 [that’s how Graziano typed it], which ranked him No. 76 on the list of 78 guards who played at least 25 percent of their team’s snaps.” Those moves do not seem ones that will lessen how often Manning will be under pressure. 
 
Again, when Manning’s feeling the pressure, poor decisions too often result. When Manning starts making poor decisions, the Giants are more likely to lose the game. The more games they lose, the less likely it is that they will make the playoffs. How many more seasons will that have to happen for the Giants to realize — and remedy — a primary cause: the offensive line?
 

Starting an Argumentative Essay

Posted on by metbaseball

Before one begins writing an argumentative essay, it’s quite helpful to have a research question that provides a framework for further investigation. Here is one such question: In the United States, should admission to four-year colleges be based solely on one test score, as is done in China where the gaokao (pronounced “gow-kow”) exam serves that purpose?

Usually, the research question results from information gathered from previously done research. For example, one source for this article is a piece that appeared in The New York Times titled “Inside a Chinese Test-Prep Factory.” Its author, Brook Larmer, an America expatriate, focuses on the costs to the students who attend a “cram academy” in Maotanchang, China, “a memorization factory” with “20,000 students, or four times the town’s official population,” China’s version of an American college-preparatory school, excerpt the school day there runs from “6:20 in the morning” to “10:50 at night,” seven days a week with a three-hour break on Sundays.

The research question can also be used as the starting point for additional questions, such as these:

  • Why does China use the gaokao as its sole admission measure?
  • What happens if someone “fails” the gaokao?
  • What effect does it have on China’s college hopefuls?
  • What are common admission requirements in American colleges?
  • Do any American colleges only have one admission measure?

The goal at this point is to build a personal knowledge base about college admission requirements in both the United States and China—and their effects.