Nov 14, 2008 12:36 pm US/Eastern
WCBSTV.com Fan Battle: Giants Vs. Ravens
NEW YORK (CBS) ―
The NFL's best rush attack will face off against the NFL's best rush defense on Sunday at the Meadowlands. Eli Manning and Brandon Jacobs will lead the way as the Giants play host to Ray Lewis, Willis McGahee and the surprising Baltimore Ravens.
And while there will be plenty of rumblings and grumblings at Giants Stadium, two of WCBSTV.com's NFL geeks are already butting heads over the matchup. Managing Editor Steve Fink and Producer Chris Messinger have been jawing away at each other because Steve is a die-hard Ravens fan and Chris is a die-hard Giants fan.
The two decided to take their argument to e-mail and post what they wrote here on WCBSTV.com. So who won? You be the judge! Here's what they both had to say:
Steve:
I bet you thought this would be an easy victory for "Big Blue." I'm sure at the beginning of the season Giants fans thought, "Gee, the Ravens should be an easy win. Rookie coach and rookie quarterback and an aging defense. Cake baby!" Well here we are, week 11 and both the Giants and the Ravens are in first place. The Ravens defense is looking better than ever, (though we did just lose our star cornerback for the season) and our rookie quarterback has the poise of a veteran.
I'm sorry to say buddy, Brandon Jacobs will be eaten alive and you'll see just how average that Eli Manning is on Sunday when Ray Ray and the Ravens win their fifth straight game.
Chris:
Where do I begin? You've fueled me with so much ammunition I feel like Clint Eastwood walking into a brothel in Unforgiven. Except unlike Mr. Clint and his victims, I'll forgive YOU for being insane. First things first: for 'Big Blue' fans there is no such thing as an 'easy victory.' Although the Vegas spread may suggest a status as 'favorites,' in this case 6 ½, our disciplined and gritty approach to every game, instilled now more so than ever, will not allow us to take anyone lightly. And yes my friend, that includes your Baltimore Ravens. I'm glad however that the delicate enthusiasm born from winning has already reached your hometown.
Let's see, your wins have come from habitual bottom dwellers of the NFL; Bengals...Texans...Raiders? Hmm. And although it is true you have scored more points than anyone would have anticipated, I would hesitate to describe your rookie quarterback as having the poise of a veteran. If by veteran you mean someone like Brad Johnson, who is prevented from throwing more than 15 times a game, than yes, he can have that title. But if you mean 'veteran' like Brett Favre, whose very success and failure depends on the intensity of his aggressiveness, than no, a 'veteran' he is not. But I'll digress and resume the task at hand, which is to slowly but surely burst your little bubble of confidence that you have prematurely developed. None of your wins, nor your losses for that matter, have come against formidable pass rushes. I am curious to see how your 'veteran' handles picking himself off the Meadowland's grass. And if anything is a guarantee in this game, it's that Flaco (which means skinny in Spanish) will get sacked. And what if it's a typical windy day at Giants Stadium? You'll end up having to rely on the running game and we'll aggressively stuff the line.
For the sake of humor, let's imagine that Brandon Jacobs is 'eaten alive.' Will the Ravens then subsequently eat the two other heads of the three-headed beast? Will they stop Derrick Ward and Ahmad Bradshaw? Will Ray-Ray be able to guard Plaxico streaking down the sideline, Amani over the middle and our surging tight-end underneath? He's great; perhaps even one of the best ever, but he's only one man. Our offensive line is the best in the game, and as John Madden said the other night, "one of the best he's seen in a long, long time." Perhaps your chance of winning will depend on Manning's ability to stay focused despite your swarming defense. It is a fast defense, it would be stubborn to say otherwise, but he's a Manning, with a Super Bowl ring, and the entire sports world at his back. Because it's the NFL you should always remain hopeful, but don't distort the reality. We are the Super Bowl champs and we're playing like it.
Steve:
First of all, how are you going to critique the Ravens on who they've played? Let's look at the Giants 8 wins: Washington, St. Louis, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, Seattle, San Francisco, Dallas, and Philly. They defeated a horribly beat-up Steelers team, a Cowboys squad that consisted of Brad Johnson and Brooks Bollinger at QB, and squeaked by Philly in a shootout. All the rest are gimmes. Yes, even the overrated Redstinks. Then lets look at the loss: Cleveland. The Browns scored 35 points on the Giants. Um, why didn't you mention them in the wins from "habitual bottom dwellers" against the Ravens? Is it because they put up 5 touchdowns against the Giants? Is it because the Ravens torched them twice this year, a combined 65-37? I win! Now, as for comparing Joe Flacco to Brad Johnson. Are you eating Crack Cocaine Puffs with Paint Chip Sprinkles for breakfast? You're right, Flacco doesn't throw the ball as much as Eli. But wait just a minute, over the Giants 4 wins in a row, Eli has thrown 7 touchdowns and 3 interceptions, and he hasn't thrown less than 27 pass-attempts. He also can't seem to cross the 200-yard mark, which he last did in week 5. Meanwhile, Flacco, who only threw more than 24 pass-attempts just once over the Ravens 4 wins in a row, has thrown 6 touchdowns and 0 interceptions. And he crossed the 200-yard mark 2 weeks ago, and missed it by 15 yards last week. So if you're comparing Flacco to Brad Johnson, what's that make Eli? Kyle Boller? I win! You wanna talk about running games, have you seen the Ravens this season? They're the only team in the NFL with three 300+ yard rushers. Jacobs/Ward/Bradshaw meet McGahee/Rice/McClain. I'm not saying your trio is bad, I'm just saying, I'm not impressed. I win! The only way the Giants win this is if Eli Boller can exploit the fact that the Ravens just lost two starters in the secondary, Chris McAlister and Dawan Landry. Your three-headed beast will be more like a three-legged turtle. The Ravens and Giants are similar teams, except the Ravens were supposed to suck. They don't. They were supposed to have an aging, porous defense. They don't. They were supposed to have a weak, one-sided offense. They don't. They've beaten the odds, the critics, and on Sunday, they'll beat the defending champions. I win! Chris:
I'll address the strength of schedule issue only briefly. That's all your argument deserves. Perhaps you haven't looked beyond Sunday, which I don't blame you for…it's like your Super Bowl, but 4 of our 8 wins came against teams that are over .500, and at least 2 of them will make the playoffs. You know the ones: 'the horribly beat-up Steelers, a Cowboys squad that consisted of Brad (Flacco) Johnson and Brooks Bollinger at QB, and a Philly team that the Giants squeaked by in a shootout.' Oh, and don't forget the 'Redstinks.' Guess what though dude, you play all 4 of those teams going down the stretch! Oops. Please bro, regardless of what happens this Sunday, make sure your team wins those games. If not, you owe me and 4 franchises an apology. You lose!
Are you touting your 2 wins over the Browns? Exactly. You lose!
This may be unoriginal, but it's so necessary. Apparently the Crack Cocaine Puffs with Paint Chip Sprinkles are like Wheaties compared to the junk you're eating. Check out what Wikipedia had to say about your friend Brad (Flacco) Johnson. Again, I think you owe someone an apology:
"He is best known for leading the Buccaneers past the Oakland Raiders in a 48-21 rout during Super Bowl XXXVII in 2003 where he threw for 2 touchdowns and over 200 yards.
Brad ranks 26th in career passer rating in NFL history. Johnson holds a 72-51 career record as a starter, currently the 4th best win-loss ratio among active QBs with over 100 starts. He has also connected on over 60% of his passes for 13 straight seasons (1995-2007), the first quarterback in NFL history to do this (Peyton Manning is second with nine straight seasons).
He has been twice selected to Pro Bowl: in 1999 and 2002. In 2003 he was named to USA Today's All-Joe team which recognizes the NFL's most unsung players."
You should pray 'Skinny' has half the career this 40-year-old has had. I'm sorry I ever complimented your boy. But you still lose!
We both know this debate isn't about Brad (Flacco) Johnson. It's the fact you tragically suggested 'Skinny' is better, or at least equal to Eli. Seriously though, what are you eating for breakfast? Eli has thrown 14 touchdowns and only 6 picks. He's totaled 1,926 passing yards with a rating of 88.8. Pretty good. 'Skinny' on the other hand has as many touchdown passes as he does interceptions, 7. Eew. Only 1,649 total yards and a rating of 79.7. Should I go on? Just like Brad Johnson, Eli has a ring. His team is 8-1 and he's still very young with a very pretty wife. Stop trying to compare the two. It's just silly and I'm afraid readers will think you're completely biased and unreasonable. As for mentioning Kyle Boller, an ex-Raven, I honestly don't know how to respond to that. I laughed I guess. Have you given up yet? You lose!
You have the best rush defense and we have the best rush offense. I look forward to the challenge. I look forward to Jacobs, who you said you weren't impressed by, taking on Lewis, Suggs and Reed at full speed ahead. Have you seen what he's done to people when they've gone head on? Wait, does Reed still play? Once you think you have Jacobs figured out, then comes Derrick Ward. No not Rice. I can hear your rookie coach now: 'Wait, who the !*&% is #44?' That's Bradshaw Sir. Yeah he's good too. McClain? Just stop. You lose!
Eli Manning will exploit your secondary regardless of who's healthy. The Ravens are better than people expected. But that's what happens when you get used to being bad, expectations drop and any success becomes premature jubilation. So for the next couple days I suggest you dream….Dream big. Dream of purple and black babies crawling everywhere. Dream of three-legged purple turtles. Dream of Skinny Flaccos. But know that come Monday you'll have to see me again, and we'll still be defending champs, one win closer to clinching home field advantage throughout. You on the other hand will be one loss closer to not making the playoffs, again. I'd say good luck, but it's got nothing to do with it. You lost already! I love being obnoxious! 
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