Copyright 2008 The New York Sun Mon, 29 Sep 2008 23:10:11 -0400 http://blogs.law.harvard.edu/tech/rss Michael David Smith :: Stories from The New York Sun http://www.nysun.com/authors/Michael+David+Smith istoll@nysun.com (Ira Stoll) webmaster@nysun.com en-us MICHAEL DAVID SMITH http://www.nysun.com/sports/project-119-didnt-work-despite-chinas-gold-lead/84420/ Fri, 22 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST China is about to accomplish its goal of winning the most gold medals of any nation at the Beijing Olympics. But China's athletes haven't done it the way their state-run athletic program thought they would. At the 2000 Olympics in Sydney, 119 gold medals were awarded in track and field, swimming, and outdoor water sports. China won only one of those, in perhaps the most obscure track and field event, the women's 20-kilometer race walk. So the Chinese sports program went on a mission to get... MICHAEL DAVID SMITH http://www.nysun.com/sports/chinas-wang-looks-to-make-up-for-failure-at-athens/84310/ Thu, 21 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST When American sports fans think of athletes who choke under pressure, they might remember a missed field goal by Scott Norwood or botched ground ball by Bill Buckner. Chinese sports fans think of Wang Hao. Wang is the no. 1 ranked player in the world in table tennis, which is one of the most popular sports in China and a sport the Chinese have traditionally dominated, winning 18 of the 22 gold medals awarded since it became an Olympic sport. But Wang's loss to South Korea's Ryu Seung Min in the... MICHAEL DAVID SMITH http://www.nysun.com/sports/what-weve-learned-in-the-first-four-weeks/86843/ Tue, 30 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST With four weekends of NFL action in the books, here's our quarterly report on the best and worst of the 2008 season so far. Best player so far: Jay Cutler, quarterback, Denver Broncos Cutler was once known mostly as the "other" quarterback in the draft that produced Vince Young and Matt Leinart. Now Young and Leinart are stuck on the bench, and all Cutler has done is complete 65% of his passes, for 1,275 yards and nine touchdowns. The 25-year-old Cutler isn't just a star of the future; he's a... MICHAEL DAVID SMITH http://www.nysun.com/sports/jets-unleash-favre-and-he-lights-up-scoreboard/86775/ Mon, 29 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST If the Jets get to the playoffs this year, they'll look back at yesterday's win over the Arizona Cardinals as the game when the Brett Favre of old was unleashed, and their season was turned around. Favre at times appeared to be hobbled by an injured ankle, but he nonetheless started his 257th consecutive regular-season game. And after three weeks of looking too tentative and cautious, in his fourth game as a Jet Favre unleashed a flurry of long bombs and showed off his trademark strong arm in a... MICHAEL DAVID SMITH http://www.nysun.com/sports/coughlin-sends-message-with-burress-suspension/86600/ Thu, 25 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST The Giants sent a strong message to Plaxico Burress yesterday, suspending their star wide receiver for two weeks after he missed work on Monday and Tuesday and didn't return phone calls from team officials. Burress will be banished from the team's facility until October 6, the day after the Giants host the Seattle Seahawks. This week is the Giants' bye, so the two-week suspension will force Burress to miss only one game. Giants coach Tom Coughlin has often clashed with Burress, for reasons... MICHAEL DAVID SMITH http://www.nysun.com/sports/at-ugly-1-2-jets-must-rethink-their-flight-plan/86499/ Wed, 24 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Before the season, Jets fans looked at the first three games on the schedule and figured the team could start 1-2 and still be in good shape. After all, with the New England Patriots coming to town in Week 2 and a trip to San Diego to play the Chargers in Week 3, the Jets had to play both of the participants in last year's AFC Championship Game. There's no shame in losing to those teams. But now the first three games have been played and the Jets are, in fact, 1-2, and all of a sudden a 1-2... MICHAEL DAVID SMITH http://www.nysun.com/sports/manning-may-make-fewest-mistakes-of-any-qb/86376/ Tue, 23 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Tom Coughlin has always hated mental errors. From his early days coaching at Boston College to his tenure at the helm of the Jacksonville Jaguars and now, as the head coach of the Giants, the one thing that has always aroused his anger was having players who committed turnovers, missed assignments and generally made mistakes. Who ever thought that would make Eli Manning the perfect quarterback for Coughlin? For much of Manning's NFL career he's faced criticism that he wasn't consistent enough... MICHAEL DAVID SMITH http://www.nysun.com/sports/despite-struggles-giants-show-winning-touch/86335/ Mon, 22 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST It wasn't easy and it wasn't pretty, but the Giants' 26–23 overtime victory over the Cincinnati Bengals yesterday was a hard-fought win that has the defending champions looking very much like a team that can get back to the Super Bowl. In fact, it was a win that answered the two biggest questions facing the Giants heading into the season: Can their passing offense make up for the absence of the traded tight end Jeremy Shockey? And can their passing defense make up for the absence of the retired... MICHAEL DAVID SMITH http://www.nysun.com/sports/jets-special-teams-have-been-far-from-special/86019/ Wed, 17 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Late in the third quarter of their loss to the New England Patriots on Sunday, the Jets trailed 13-3 and faced a fourth down at their own 25-yard line. They had to punt, and they needed a good one. They didn't get it. Ben Graham sent the kick just 38 yards, and New England's Kevin Faulk returned it 24 yards. That set up the Patriots in good field position, and after a short drive the Patriots kicked a field goal and increased their lead to 16-3. At first glance, Graham's short punt, the Jets'... MICHAEL DAVID SMITH http://www.nysun.com/sports/even-not-playing-their-best-giants-dismantle-rams/85833/ Mon, 15 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Even when they look like they're sleepwalking through much of the game, the Giants are good enough to win by four touchdowns. The Giants didn't always look good during their 41-13 win over the Rams in St. Louis yesterday, but they showed off a balanced, turnover-free offense and a stout defense, and they generally looked like they've picked up in September pretty much where they left off at the Super Bowl in February. And that was on a day when they didn't really pull away until the fourth... MICHAEL DAVID SMITH http://www.nysun.com/sports/brady-or-not-patriots-prove-they-are-team-to-beat/85836/ Mon, 15 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST As expected, the New England Patriots' offense struggled with Matt Cassel playing in place of the injured Tom Brady. But the Jets' offense struggled even more, Cassel played a better game than Brett Favre, and the Patriots left the Meadowlands with a 19-10 win. Cassel was making his first start since he led Chatsworth High School in Los Angeles, and the Jets' defense was expected to take an aggressive approach that would rattle him and force him to make mistakes. Instead, they were surprisingly... MICHAEL DAVID SMITH http://www.nysun.com/sports/giants-have-good-shot-to-start-6-0/85624/ Thu, 11 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Counting the postseason, the Giants' current five-game winning streak is the longest in the NFL. With the way their upcoming schedule plays out, they could easily have a 10-game winning streak by late October. NFL players and coaches always insist that they take the schedule one game at a time and that they never look beyond the current opponent. But the rest of us are free to look ahead. And looking at the Giants' schedule for the first two months of the season, it's clear that the NFL gave... MICHAEL DAVID SMITH http://www.nysun.com/sports/giants-jets-have-bright-futures-in-the-secondary/85526/ Wed, 10 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST In the fourth quarter of Thursday's game against the Redskins, Giants rookie safety Kenny Phillips tackled Washington wide receiver Santana Moss for a 4-yard gain on third-and-17, keeping him in bounds, keeping the clock running, and all but ending the Redskins' last chance at a comeback. In the fourth quarter of Sunday's game against the Dolphins, Jets rookie cornerback Dwight Lowery deflected two straight passes in the end zone from Miami Dolphins quarterback Chad Pennington, ending a... MICHAEL DAVID SMITH http://www.nysun.com/sports/brady-injury-sends-ripples-throughout-nfl/85337/ Mon, 8 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST The NFL season changed dramatically yesterday when the New England Patriots appeared to suffer the most serious setback imaginable: Quarterback Tom Brady is expected to miss the rest of the year after a serious knee injury on the NFL's opening Sunday. Although the full extent of Brady's injury won't be known until an MRI exam is conducted, reports last night indicated that he had sustained significant ligament damage and wouldn't be able to play again this season. The absence of Brady would... MICHAEL DAVID SMITH http://www.nysun.com/sports/pennington-nearly-spoils-favres-solid-debut/85343/ Mon, 8 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Brett Favre's 443rd touchdown pass — and his first as a Jet — was a sight to behold. Favre used a textbook-perfect play-action fake to draw the Miami Dolphins' defense toward him, and then he launched a rocket to wide receiver Jerricho Cotchery for a 56-yard score. That pass in the first quarter of yesterday's game at Miami gave Favre's tenure with the Jets a nearly perfect beginning. Favre's second touchdown pass as a Jet was a hideous thing, a desperate heave that hung in the air forever... MICHAEL DAVID SMITH http://www.nysun.com/sports/spagnuolo-now-has-his-work-cut-out-for-him/85092/ Wed, 3 Sep 2008 00:00:00 EST Tomorrow night, Steve Spagnuolo will start earning his $2 million salary. In February the Giants gave Spagnuolo, their defensive coordinator, a contract extension to keep him from bolting to take the head-coaching job with the Washington Redskins. When the Giants play the Redskins tomorrow in the first NFL game of the season, Spagnuolo will need to show he's worth that money (which made him the highest-paid defensive coordinator in football) when a revamped defense with significant personnel... MICHAEL DAVID SMITH http://www.nysun.com/sports/with-umenyiora-out-giants-could-call-strahan/84533/ Mon, 25 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST The Giants learned yesterday that their defense lost the player it could least afford to lose, as defensive end Osi Umenyiora will require season-ending surgery following a knee injury in a preseason game against the Jets. If the Giants are serious about repeating as Super Bowl champions, they now must do everything in their power to convince Michael Strahan to come back. When Strahan announced his retirement in June, the Giants appeared to be well-positioned to move on without him. But that... MICHAEL DAVID SMITH http://www.nysun.com/sports/in-glare-of-prime-time-duo-delivers/84246/ Wed, 20 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST Misty May-Treanor and Kerri Walsh are the best beach volleyball tandem in the world, but they're much more than just that. They're also a couple of TV stars, as evidenced by NBC's decision to give them as much airtime as Michael Phelps or Kobe Bryant. And they're changing the way their sport is viewed, to such an extent that NCAA schools may soon offer beach volleyball scholarships. NBC was operating under the assumption that May-Treanor and Walsh would waltz to the final when it negotiated... MICHAEL DAVID SMITH http://www.nysun.com/sports/us-womens-gymnastics-caps-its-best-ever-effort/84248/ Wed, 20 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST The Olympic gymnastics competition began with a disappointment for Team USA, but it ended with American women's gymnastics looking as strong as ever. Shawn Johnson won a gold medal on the balance beam yesterday, giving the 16-year-old from Des Moines, Iowa, her first gold in the last event of the Olympics. Nastia Liukin had previously won gold in the individual all-around, and the Americans also had five silver medals (one in the team competition, two for Johnson and two for Liukin) and a... MICHAEL DAVID SMITH http://www.nysun.com/sports/china-us-tensions-boil-over-to-solo-competition/83852/ Thu, 14 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST As riveting as the competition between America and China in women's team gymnastics was yesterday, we may look back on these Olympics and view it as just the undercard. The main event takes place tonight (Friday morning in Beijing), when two members of the American team will try to shake off the disappointment of Team USA's silver medal and go for the gold in the individual all-around against several strong gymnasts from around the world, including two medal contenders from China. The matchup... MICHAEL DAVID SMITH http://www.nysun.com/sports/china-us-prepare-for-epic-gymnastics-showdown/83691/ Tue, 12 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST NBC paid close to $900 million to broadcast the Beijing Games, and the network can expect to get its money's worth tonight. The women's team gymnastics final, which takes place tomorrow morning in Beijing and will be televised live tonight in America, is always one of the marquee events of the games. But in this year's Olympics, women's gymnastics takes on the added significance of pitting an excellent American squad against a host Chinese team that has its best chance ever at winning the gold... MICHAEL DAVID SMITH http://www.nysun.com/sports/china-presents-its-diving-dream-team/83465/ Fri, 8 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST China's enormous government-run athletic program has long targeted these Games as the year when the world's most populous nation will lead all others in the Olympic medal tally. With the Beijing Games about to begin, no sport gives China a greater opportunity to assert its athletic prowess than diving. Medals are awarded in eight Olympic diving events, and China has a chance to win all eight golds. In some events, China could win both gold and silver, and the only obstacle that would prevent... MICHAEL DAVID SMITH http://www.nysun.com/sports/what-kind-of-a-jet-will-brett-favre-be/83472/ Fri, 8 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST On Thursday, the Jets announced that they had acquired Brett Favre from Green Bay. Friday, they'll get to work on determining what kind of quarterback Favre will be in New York. That work will be done by head coach Eric Mangini and, especially, by offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer, whose job for the next month is to devise an offense that will best utilize Favre's skills. Schottenheimer needs to modify his offensive approach to put Favre in the best position to help the Jets win games... MICHAEL DAVID SMITH http://www.nysun.com/sports/bold-dreaming-of-a-super-bowl-jets-acquire-favre/83394/ Thu, 7 Aug 2008 06:57:31 EST The Jets want to win the Super Bowl this year, and they made the boldest move imaginable to get it done. That is the ultimate takeaway from the stunning news that the Jets have acquired Brett Favre in a trade with the Green Bay Packers. Will Favre be the great player in New York this year that he was in Green Bay last year and most of his career? It's impossible to say. But the Jets have decided that if there's a chance, they're willing to pull off one of the biggest trades in NFL history. In... MICHAEL DAVID SMITH http://www.nysun.com/sports/tae-kwon-do-may-steal-some-of-beijing-spotlight/83376/ Thu, 7 Aug 2008 00:00:00 EST Few American sports fans know the names of Mark, Steven, and Diana Lopez, and even fewer know Nisar Ahmad Bahawe or Chen Zhong. But those five athletes, all of whom will compete in tae kwon do in the Summer Olympics, have the chance to do something special in Beijing. With the Beijing Games just days away, no sport has greater potential for taking an athlete from obscurity to stardom than tae kwon do. From three American siblings competing in the same sport for the first time in more than a... MICHAEL DAVID SMITH http://www.nysun.com/sports/giants-ship-shockey-to-new-orleans-signaling-new/82370/ Tue, 22 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST Jeremy Shockey's tenure with the Giants came to an end yesterday, as the team traded its star tight end to the New Orleans Saints just three days before the start of training camp. The Saints will send the Giants their second- and fifth-round picks in the 2009 draft, and the Giants will move on without Shockey, their starting tight end and one of their most recognizable players for the last six seasons. The trade is a sign that the Giants' front office and coaching staff has faith in Kevin... MICHAEL DAVID SMITH http://www.nysun.com/sports/at-long-last-jets-may-have-their-shot-at-favre/82040/ Thu, 17 Jul 2008 00:00:00 EST On April 21, 1991, the Jets were just minutes away from drafting Brett Favre. Jets general manager Dick Steinberg and coach Bruce Coslet knew the team needed a talented young quarterback and had correctly identified Favre as the one they should target. When the first round passed and only two quarterbacks — San Diego State's Dan McGwire and USC's Todd Marinovich — were chosen, it began to look like Favre, an unpolished but strong-armed passer out of Southern Mississippi, would be available... MICHAEL DAVID SMITH http://www.nysun.com/sports/strahan-ends-hall-of-fame-career-as-a-champion/79656/ Tue, 10 Jun 2008 00:00:00 EST Michael Strahan abruptly disclosed yesterday that he is retiring, bringing to an end a Hall of Fame career that culminated with a Super Bowl ring. As the Giants' defensive end for the last 15 years, Strahan was chosen for seven Pro Bowls, recorded 141.5 sacks, led the league in sacks twice, and was named the NFL's defensive player of the year once. There will never be another Lawrence Taylor, but Strahan is the second-best defensive player in Giants history. The retirement of one of the sport's... MICHAEL DAVID SMITH http://www.nysun.com/sports/giants-and-jets-make-quality-plays-in-draft/75419/ Mon, 28 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST All eight of last year's draft picks made the roster and helped the Giants win the Super Bowl, earning general manager Jerry Reese a reputation as one of the best talent evaluators in football. Last weekend's draft did nothing to change that. The Jets, meanwhile, bolstered their defense with a first-round pick who might be the most talented player in this draft, and then traded up for another first-round pick who will play a big role in their offense. For all the big-name players selected in... MICHAEL DAVID SMITH http://www.nysun.com/sports/one-pick-down-251-left-to-go/75303/ Fri, 25 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST We already know that NFL commissioner Roger Goodell will call the name of Michigan offensive tackle Jake Long as the Miami Dolphins' first overall selection when the draft starts at Radio City Music Hall on Saturday. But who will the other 30 teams pick (remember, the Patriots forfeited a first-round selection)? And who should they pick? Below we offer two mock drafts — one with predictions of what each team is likely to do, and one with suggestions of what each team should do. 2. St. Louis... MICHAEL DAVID SMITH http://www.nysun.com/sports/jets-on-track-to-score-big-prize-at-nfl-draft/74801/ Wed, 16 Apr 2008 00:00:00 EST The Jets fans who will pack Radio City Music Hall for the NFL draft on April 26 can be assured of one thing: They'll see something interesting. After a dull, disappointing season on the field in 2007, the 2008 draft is full of intrigue and excitement for the Jets. The NFL has invited six prospects to attend the draft in person, and the Jets, picking sixth, will almost certainly choose one of them. The six players — a Louisiana State University defensive tackle, Glenn Dorsey; an Ohio State... MICHAEL DAVID SMITH http://www.nysun.com/sports/mid-majors-shouldnt-play-each-other-in-round-one/73378/ Fri, 21 Mar 2008 00:00:00 EST The first two days of the NCAA Division I men's basketball tournament are the two best days of the sports year, with 32 games and a smorgasbord of unlikely heroes, Cinderella stories, and buzzer beaters. And last night's great Duke-Belmont game served as a reminder that the best part of all is seeing a scrappy team from a small conference take on one of the powers of the college basketball world. When those "mid-majors" win, they usually do so by combining sound fundamentals with good shooting... MICHAEL DAVID SMITH http://www.nysun.com/sports/favre-may-not-be-greatest-but-certainly-most-fun/72327/ Wed, 5 Mar 2008 00:00:00 EST Brett Favre retired as quarterback of the Green Bay Packers yesterday, closing the curtain on the career of an athlete who may have been the most beloved ever to play his sport. Favre's National Football League records include those for the most passing yards and touchdowns, most consecutive games played, and most games won for a quarterback, in addition to the most Most Valuable Player awards. But what Favre will be remembered for is the sheer joy with which he played football. "He plays the... MICHAEL DAVID SMITH http://www.nysun.com/sports/jets-spending-like-a-team-that-wants-to-win-now/72266/ Tue, 4 Mar 2008 00:00:00 EST The Jets added two more high-price free agents yesterday as part of their radical roster overhaul — bolstering their offensive line, transforming their defense, and spending like a team that wants to win now, not build for the future. The first four days of the NFL free agency period have included a surprising series of moves from a franchise that has often shied away from breaking the bank to acquire veteran players. Following up on a big weekend of spending, the Jets made two more big moves... MICHAEL DAVID SMITH http://www.nysun.com/sports/coughlins-reward-for-an-incredible-turnaround/71610/ Thu, 21 Feb 2008 00:00:00 EST As the Giants head to Indianapolis to plot the team's future at the annual NFL scouting combine, a major part of that future is about to fall into place, as head coach Tom Coughlin is expected to sign a four-year contract extension within the next week. That the Giants will lock in Coughlin as the captain of the ship into the next decade — and that the Giants' players and fans feel good about it — represents the culmination of one of the most stunning turnarounds any coach has ever had. A year... MICHAEL DAVID SMITH http://www.nysun.com/sports/spagnuolo-is-first-step-to-another-championship/71004/ Fri, 8 Feb 2008 00:00:00 EST The Giants may not have finished celebrating their championship, but they started taking steps toward winning another yesterday when they signed the architect of their Super Bowl-winning defense to a contract extension. Defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, who had appeared close to leaving the Giants to become the head coach of the Washington Redskins, instead yesterday agreed to a new contract to remain at the helm of the Big Blue defense. Although details of the deal have not been... MICHAEL DAVID SMITH http://www.nysun.com/sports/nfls-newest-superstar-is-born/70730/ Tue, 5 Feb 2008 00:00:00 EST PHOENIX — Eli Manning accepted his Super Bowl Most Valuable Player award at a ceremony here yesterday morning, and 12 hours after leading the Giants to victory on the game's biggest stage, he didn't seem to fully comprehend how much his life had changed. After four years of an NFL career in which he was derided as a spoiled underachiever living in the shadow of his father and older brother, Manning has now been transformed into a winner, a champion, and a star. But Manning spent more time... MICHAEL DAVID SMITH http://www.nysun.com/sports/giants-win-a-super-bowl-for-the-ages/70645/ Mon, 4 Feb 2008 00:00:00 EST GLENDALE, Ariz. — A stunning effort from the Giants' defense and a heroic fourth quarter from Eli Manning brought the New England Patriots' quest for perfection to a shocking end at Super Bowl XLII, as one of the great teams the sport has ever seen was held in check in the best Super Bowl ever played. The Giants' 17–14 win was also one of the great upsets in football history, but to define these Giants by their status as the Davids who slew the Goliath Patriots would be to sell them short. The... MICHAEL DAVID SMITH http://www.nysun.com/sports/four-key-matchups-to-watch-on-sunday/70576/ Fri, 1 Feb 2008 00:00:00 EST Plaxico Burress vs. Asante Samuel Plaxico Burress, the Giants' top receiver, had a phenomenal game against Green Bay Packers cornerback Al Harris in the NFC Championship. But he'll have a greater challenge on Super Bowl Sunday because the Patriots' top cornerback, Asante Samuel, is a better player than Harris, and because the Patriots' defense uses less man-to-man coverage than the Packers. Burress needs to use his size advantage to succeed against Samuel. Burress is 6 feet 5 inches and 232... MICHAEL DAVID SMITH http://www.nysun.com/sports/mannings-backups-are-on-sidelines-but-not-out/70554/ Thu, 31 Jan 2008 00:00:00 EST PHOENIX — As the Giants' backup quarterbacks, Anthony Wright and Jared Lorenzen are in the odd position of preparing for a Super Bowl that they hope they'll spend on the sideline. Wright, the second-string quarterback, would only play if starter Eli Manning gets hurt. Lorenzen, the third-stringer, would only play if both Manning and Wright got hurt. Both quarterbacks may have dreamed of playing in the Super Bowl since childhood, but they don't want to do it at the expense of a fallen teammate... MICHAEL DAVID SMITH http://www.nysun.com/sports/boss-has-made-big-strides-to-ease-loss-of-shockey/70458/ Wed, 30 Jan 2008 00:00:00 EST GLENDALE, Ariz. – Giants coach Tom Coughlin would sooner post his Super Bowl game plan on the Internet than risk giving a rookie a big head by gushing over his play. But the way Coughlin talked about rookie tight end Kevin Boss at yesterday's Super Bowl media day, it was clear that Coughlin loves the hard-nosed style Boss brings to the team and considers Boss a major part of the Giants' success. "He's done very well," Coughlin said of Boss, a 2007 fifth-round draft pick who became the Giants'... MICHAEL DAVID SMITH http://www.nysun.com/sports/pass-rush-gives-giants-critical-edge/70367/ Tue, 29 Jan 2008 00:00:00 EST When the Giants' defense takes the field on Super Bowl Sunday against the offensive juggernaut that is the New England Patriots, it might look at first like a mismatch. The Patriots' offense broke the NFL records for points and touchdowns during the regular season. It features league MVP Tom Brady, the NFL's best pair of wide receivers in Randy Moss and Wes Welker, a talented running back in Laurence Maroney, and three Pro Bowl offensive linemen in Matt Light, Logan Mankins, and Dan Koppen. It... MICHAEL DAVID SMITH http://www.nysun.com/sports/how-giants-can-beat-the-patriots-run/69978/ Wed, 23 Jan 2008 00:00:00 EST The Giants can beat the Patriots. Not many people think the Giants will beat New England in Super Bowl XLII, but they can win, and their best chance of doing so is to rely on a simple game plan: Run the ball early, run the ball often, and don't stop running the ball, even if the circumstances of the game would ordinarily call for passing. The Patriots would seem to have the advantage in almost every phase of the game. Statistically, the Patriots' pass offense is better than the Giants' pass... MICHAEL DAVID SMITH http://www.nysun.com/sports/hixons-hope-for-a-perfect-ending/69941/ Tue, 22 Jan 2008 00:00:00 EST When Domenik Hixon walks onto the field at University of Phoenix Stadium for Super Bowl XLII, he'll have a chance to achieve the perfect ending to a season that couldn't have started worse. Hixon, the Giants' best special teams player, was involved in a grisly on-field collision that cast a pall over the first week of the NFL season, when Buffalo Bills tight end Kevin Everett suffered a near-fatal spinal cord injury when trying to tackle Hixon, who at the time was playing for the Denver Broncos... MICHAEL DAVID SMITH http://www.nysun.com/sports/road-warrior-giants-pull-off-another-shocker/69822/ Mon, 21 Jan 2008 00:00:00 EST The Giants lost two games to start the season and played ugly football in the middle of the season, but they capped a stunning turnaround at the end of the season with a win in Green Bay last night, and what would have seemed unthinkable a month ago, can now be said: The Giants are going to the Super Bowl. These Giants have been written off so many times this season that it was hard to believe they would get not one, not two, but three chances at a game-winning field goal. But they did, and... MICHAEL DAVID SMITH http://www.nysun.com/sports/patriots-only-one-win-from-nfls-greatest-season/69865/ Mon, 21 Jan 2008 00:00:00 EST The New England Patriots are one game away from immortality. Yesterday, they conquered the American Football Conference, and now they need to win the Super Bowl to stake their claim as the greatest team in the history of the sport. The Patriots' 21–12 win over the San Diego Chargers yesterday improved their record to 18-0, giving them one victory more than the Miami Dolphins had in their unbeaten — but less dominant — 1972 season, a season that, for now anyway, stands as the only undefeated... MICHAEL DAVID SMITH http://www.nysun.com/sports/giants-are-benefiting-from-reeses-shrewd-drafting/69633/ Wed, 16 Jan 2008 00:00:00 EST On the day after the NFL draft, the Internet buzzes with report cards grading the 32 teams, purporting to know which general managers picked the next NFL star and which ones chose the next bust — even though none of those rookies has played a game. But eight months later, we've seen enough of the Giants' rookie class to say this: Giants general manager Jerry Reese deserves an "A" for his 2007 draft. The Giants drafted eight players, and all eight of them not only made the roster but have played... MICHAEL DAVID SMITH http://www.nysun.com/sports/will-the-grant-trade-come-back-to-haunt-the-giants/69540/ Tue, 15 Jan 2008 00:00:00 EST On September 1, the Giants traded running back Ryan Grant to the Green Bay Packers for a sixth-round draft pick. At the time, the trade — involving a player who had never appeared in a regular-season game — seemed utterly inconsequential. But on Sunday, that trade may come back to haunt the Giants. Grant has emerged from the oblivion of the bottom of two NFL depth charts to become one of the best running backs in football this season. On Saturday, Grant shook off two early fumbles and ran for... MICHAEL DAVID SMITH http://www.nysun.com/sports/one-giant-step-toward-super-bowl/69411/ Mon, 14 Jan 2008 00:00:00 EST As Giants quarterback Eli Manning walked off the field at Texas Stadium yesterday, he wore on his face a look of determination, not of celebration. Manning knows he hasn't accomplished his ultimate goal just yet. But after a 21–17 victory over the Dallas Cowboys, Manning and the Giants are just one win away from the Super Bowl, an outcome that far surpasses anything anyone outside the Giants' locker room thought they would do this year. It was an impressive, business-like win in which the... MICHAEL DAVID SMITH http://www.nysun.com/sports/bradshaw-is-one-weapon-dallas-has-yet-to-see/69282/ Thu, 10 Jan 2008 00:00:00 EST The Giants will attempt this weekend to accomplish the rare feat of going on the road in the playoffs and beating a team that swept them during the regular season. But there's one big difference between the Giants team that lost to the Dallas Cowboys twice in 2007 and the team will take the field at Texas Stadium on Sunday: Ahmad Bradshaw. Actually, since Bradshaw, the Giants' rookie running back, is generously listed at 5 feet, 9 inches and weighs less than 200 pounds, he probably can't be...