The next UMass star? Emil Igwenagu hopes so

23 Feb
2012
by in Fantasy Football, General

MARTINSVILLE, N.J. — Could tight end Emil Igwenagu be the next NFL star to come from the UMass program?

Just two years removed from his collegiate career at UMass, New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz is enjoying a stellar start to his NFL career. An injury limited Cruz to just three games and no catches in his rookie season but he rebounded to lead the Giants in catches and receiving touchdowns this past year, including the first touchdown of their Super Bowl win. But the success of Cruz in the NFL, along with that of New England Patriots linebacker James Ihedigbo and New York Jets offensive lineman Vlad Ducasse,  means that the Minutemen have formed a small pipeline to the league.

Igwenagu is the next in line to possibly taste that success.

"There was a bit more buzz about the team — I'd say there was a bit more of the buzz. I definitely think the success of Victor and the other guys — those guys made a statement for UMass — it definitely helps with perception, with how [NFL] teams look at us," Igwenagu told Yahoo! Sports. "The whole thing with those guys got more exposure, them making it big on the big stage was a good thing for us looking at the NFL."

Much like bigger programs from BCS programs that have a legitimate standing in the eyes of NFL teams, UMass is certainly gaining respect on draft boards. One NFC scout, told Yahoo! Sports that the program is now viewed differently than in years past.

"When you look at the number of guys they've placed in the league, UMass is now a program that is sending players into the NFL regularly," the scout said. "And they're guys making an impact, guys starting and contributing. You have to look at these players now."

Igwenagu should get some long looks from teams in the middle rounds of the draft. He's got good size at 6'1 and 245 pounds and he has shown outstanding mobility; his invitation to the NFL Combine a testament to just how far the UMass program has come in just a few short years. His time in the 40 is expected to be in the 4.68 — 4.71 range and he looks to put north of 20 repetitions on the 225 pound bench press.
He will be running with the tight ends at the combine.

Two years ago, it was a bit of a shock when Ducasse was invited to the combine before eventually being taken in the second round of the draft. Now, it's almost commonplace that Igwenagu would get a nod, especially given his strong track record in the FCS.

"I wouldn't say I expected it at all, not a lot of people get invited to the combine. But it's definitely exciting and means a lot to me. Do I expect the success of the others from the program who have gotten drafted? No, not really. It is different people, different skillsets and that is what matters the most — so their success doesn't mean my success," Igwenagu said. "But it definitely shows me that there is a way to the league from UMass."

He calls the program "the right fit for him" and UMass' location an hour away from his Bolyston, MA home was a big part of the appeal. There was recruitment from BCS programs such as Boston College and UMass but while on his official visit in Amherst in December, the high school senior said it "felt right" and he committed shortly thereafter.

Now, just days away from being able to solidify himself as a draft prospect, Igwenagu can admit that he didn't have NFL dreams when he went to UMass. But the enormity of the moment has dawned on him, as has the expectation that the journey and the real work has only just begun. He's been training at TEST Sports Clubs in Martinsville, NJ since the end of the football season, shedding down time on his 40-yard dash and getting ready for the combine.

Ironically, TEST is the facility that Ducasse went to in an effort to solidify his draft status.
"I've always been a hard worker but definitely it is about being focused and putting in the time. In school, you need to balance classes and football," Igwenagu said. |

"Now it's going to be big for me to put in the extra hours watching film, getting in an extra workout, taking care of my body the right way so that I can maximize everything that is given to me."

Follow Kristian R. Dyer on Twitter @KristianRDyer

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Sore loser Bully Ray spits beer in the face of Brandon Jacobs

17 Feb
2012
by in Fantasy Football, General

New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs was at ringside on Thursday night to watch his good friend Cowboy James Storm wrestle Bully Ray at TNA Impact Wrestling. To everyone's great surprise, Jacobs was not able to just sit there, peacefully enjoy the event and go on home.

Bully Ray is just the kind of jerk that wouldn't let that happen. Jacobs just wanted to support his friend, and I see no reason why I shouldn't believe that Brandon Jacobs and James Storm have been close friends for years. Storm won his match, and afterwards, he chose to celebrate by sharing a beer at ringside with his pal Jacobs (the NFL, for reasons I don't understand, makes players leave the playing field before they crack open their beers).

The lifelong pals were enjoying their cold ones (after one was poured on a woman's face for no reason whatsoever), when Bully Ray, sore loser that he is, got back up in Storm's face. And then, the nerve of that guy, he got in Brandon Jacobs' face, too. That's when things got real.

But that wasn't it.

Backstage, TNA cameras caught up with Jacobs and Storm and got these comments.

I'm not sure that a shove to the chest is the best way to try and break every bone in a man's body, but Jacobs has the fighting wisdom of James Storm in his corner, so who am I to question it? At any rate, payback is coming for Bully Ray, so I just hope that Jacobs waits until next Thursday night when the cameras are on to get his pound of flesh.

I'm a little disturbed, though, that Storm needed to leave and go get some more beers so quickly. I think he may be an alcoholic.

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We’ll see how Brandon Jacobs’ football skills translate to the squared circle

13 Feb
2012
by in Fantasy Football, General

Following in the legendary footsteps of Adam "Pacman" Jones, New York Giants running back Brandon Jacobs will be in a TNA wrestling ring Monday night.

It won't air until Thursday night, but the television taping takes place Monday night in Orlando. Here's more from Alex Marvez at Fox Sports:

The 6-foot-4, 264-pound Jacobs is expected to have a confrontation with TNA star and 1996 U.S. Olympic gold-medalist wrestler Kurt Angle. Jacobs won't work an actual match but there may be some degree of physicality that wouldn't violate his NFL contract.

If you'll recall, last year after winning the Super Bowl, Green Bay Packers linebacker Clay Matthews did something similar with the WWE. He was a special guest referee as Edge retained his World Heavyweight Championship over Dolph Ziggler.

Originally, the plan was for Jason Pierre-Paul to do the TNA appearance, but Marvez says he backed out due to "exhaustion." Which is a wise move. Because when you're in the ring with a force like Kurt Angle, you better be on your toes and keep your head on a swivel.

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Eli Manning’s ‘athletic amnesia’ set him apart early on

13 Feb
2012
by in Fantasy Football, General

No matter the sport, those who wish to succeed over a long period of time must develop what I would call "athletic amnesia" -- the ability to learn from one's mistakes at the same time you avoid the mental and emotional backlash than can happen if you take those mistakes to heart too often. In the NFL, quarterbacks and cornerbacks really have to have that amnesia -- when you throw a pick, or when you get burned by a receiver, you have to stick that in your back pocket and move on. The game moves far too quickly; if you're busy pouting, it will pass you by.

In his first postseason MMQB column of 2012, SI.com's  Peter King looks back through a 10-year history of scouting notes, game recaps, and quotes from the man himself in an attempt to get to the heart of Eli Manning's character. What is it about this particular quarterback that drives him to come up big in the biggest moments, when those with even more talent than his will falter under pressure?

As King recalls, you can trace the "clutchiness" back to a 2002 game between Eli's Ole Miss team and Jason Campbell's heavily favored Auburn Tigers.

A couple of days later, [New York Giants then-GM Ernie] Accorsi types his report in all capital letters to be submitted as part of the team's scouting report on Manning. In a section of the report covering the second half, he writes: "NEVER GETS RATTLED. RALLIED HIS TEAM FROM A 14-3 HALFTIME DEFICIT BASICALLY ALL BY HIMSELF. LED THEM ON TWO SUCCESSIVE THIRD QUARTER DRIVES TO GO AHEAD, 17-16. THE FIRST TOUCHDOWN, ON A 40-YARD STREAK DOWN THE LEFT SIDELINE, HE DROPPED THE BALL OVER THE RECEIVER'S RIGHT SHOULDER. CALLED THE NEXT TOUCHDOWN PASS HIMSELF, CHECKING OFF TO A 12-YARD SLANT. MAKES A LOT OF DECISIONS ON PLAY CALLS AT THE LINE OF SCRIMMAGE.''

That was the first clue for the Giants. In the same way that Bill Walsh leaned fairly heavily on a series of Notre Dame comeback victories in 1978 when evaluating Joe Montana, Accorsi knew the importance of this game. Clearly, it factored heavily in the Giants' decision to trade up with the San Diego Chargers in the 2004 draft and make Eli their future. He didn't care what had happened before to put him in that hole -- all the young quarterback was thinking about was how to right the ship.

Fast-forward in King's piece to Eli's rookie year, and a nationally televised game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, and a fellow first-year quarterback named Ben Roethlisberger. Eli was coming off a series of disastrous games, especially a loss to the Baltimore Ravens in which the Ravens made him look like a high school backup.

Did Eli pout? Nope. Did he beat himself up publicly, as some of your dumber coaches would prefer their players do when they screw up? Not at all.


Two hours after the Ravens game, Eli had turned on the amnesia for everything but the things that would allow him to learn.

On the two-hour ride to Newark, Manning spoke with Gilbride and then-offensive coordinator John Hufnagel. Rather than sulk about the disastrous game he'd played, he told them his eight favorite plays. He told them, "If you could put these in the game plan next week, it'd give me eight plays I'd be comfortable with -- rhythm plays, plays I know I'd have an open receiver even if it was just a short gain.''

Notable that Manning could think about the next game 90 minutes after the most embarrassing game of his life. "I was down, really down,'' he said. "But I knew if we could put some plays in the plan for the next week that I liked, I'd feel better about it -- and the offense would see in practice we'd be able to move the ball.''

The Giants lost a 33-30 thriller that day, but that's where it really started. And that's why Eli Manning is able to zero in when the moment demands it. He keeps just enough from his mistakes to learn from them, and he throws the rest away to avoid all that baggage.

It's a pretty good lesson for all of us.

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Cruz: Manningham’s Super catch wasn’t drawn up that way

12 Feb
2012
by in Fantasy Football, General

The biggest play of the Super Bowl wasn't drawn up that way.

Victor Cruz was standing in the slot on his own 12-yard line with 3:46 left in the game and his New York Giants trailing 17-15. To Cruz's right was wide receiver Hakeem Nicks and on the near side was Mario Manningham. The play called for Cruz to run a 12-yard route from the slot, and then he'd break into the middle of the field.

It was a play that should have worked against a New England Patriots defense that was lined up in a two-high shell with two safeties on either side of the field. The ball was supposed to go to Cruz, who had a first-quarter touchdown catch and was the favored target of quarterback Eli Manning throughout the season.

Even though the call was for Cruz to be Manning's first read on the play, the pass never went his direction. Instead, the ball went to Manningham on the opposite side for a 38-yard clutch catch that has become one of the iconic moments in Super Bowl history.

[Related: The hidden play of Super Bowl XLVI: Tom Brady's injury revealed]

"I saw the whole thing - as soon as I turned I saw the ball and tracked it and I saw his feet go down," Cruz told Yahoo! Sports. "He was supposed to come to my side, but I feel like Eli wanted to make a play, so he looked off the safety to the right and threw an absolutely perfect pass to Mario."

Cruz had perhaps the best view of the play as he turned during his route -- he immediately knew it was a catch given his vantage point. As if that wasn't enough, the way Manningham bounced up after being pushed out of bounds told Cruz that the Giants had made the play. He admitted that waiting for the officials to confirm the catch was an excruciating process.

When the Giants returned to their huddle with the first down, they sensed momentum was in their favor.

"He [Manning] didn't say anything in the huddle, but I think you could feel it. Once you have a big play like that, it really pumps up the offense," Cruz said. "We [did] some good things on that drive, really moving the ball. But to have a big play like that, it was great for our confidence, great for our morale."

[ Related: Giants can thank unlikely Super Bowl hero for win ]

Now Cruz enters the offseason after what was unquestionably the breakout performance of 2011. He played just three games in 2010 before a hamstring injury sidelined him and he failed to make a single catch in his rookie season. But in 2011, Cruz led the Giants with 82 catches for 1,536 yards along with nine touchdowns.

An undrafted rookie free agent out of FCS program UMass, Cruz is among the lowest-paid players on the Giants roster.

His stellar sophomore season in the league stacked against his pay — Cruz is slated to make $490,000 in 2012 — was a big reason why he won the Vizio Top Performer Award for outperforming his contract. The Vizio award is given to a player who outperforms his current contract and he beat out nominees such as Matt Forte and Rob Gronkowsi for the honor.

Though his contract runs out next year, Cruz is hopeful that he will commit to the Giants with a long-term deal this offseason.

"I just want to have my agents and everybody take care of the stuff, but I definitely want to remain a New York Giant for a very long time. Hopefully we can just go into the offseason and my agents make the right decisions and come to some kind of an agreement," Cruz said.

"I'm willing to wait, but that's something my agents are going to have to take care of."

From an injury-plagued rookie year where he failed to make an impact to winning a Super Bowl and now a possible big contract, it has been quite the year for Cruz. His post-touchdown salsa dance celebration has become a hit and now he's a bit of a pop icon. It could be too much, too soon for some young players, but Cruz credits Manning and teammate Justin Tuck for helping to keep him levelheaded.

[Related: Justin Tuck visits New York City cop who survived gunshot wound to head]

Cruz even turned down "Dancing With the Stars" this offseason, choosing rather to focus on football. It isn't about the exposure and money, he says.

"When you were young and you just played this game for the love of it — it wasn't for the money or anything like that. I play this game for the love of it. I knew coming into this league that I was going to have to earn my keep and really make the team and do all the right things. I understand that and I understood that I have to go out there and take care of what I can take care of," Cruz said.

"And the contracts and everything else will take care of itself."

Follow Kristian R. Dyer on Twitter @KristianRDyer

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Bucs tab Giants’ Sullivan to run offense (AP)

10 Feb
2012
by in Fantasy Football, General
New York Giants quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan is leaving the Super Bowl champions to become the offensive coordinator for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Bucs announced Friday night that Sullivan is joining the staff of new coach Greg Schiano. Sullivan spent the last eight seasons with the Giants. He has coached Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning and the rest of New York's quarterbacks for the past two...
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The Giants won the ‘Brain Bowl,’ too

10 Feb
2012
by in Fantasy Football, General

The New York Giants beat the New England Patriots in the Super Bowl this past Sunday not just by being better between the lines but, according to Dr. John F. Murray, by being better between their ears.

The Mental Performance Index (MPI) was developed by Dr. Murray, a south Florida-based sports psychologist who has been called by the Washington Post the "Freud of Football." MPI shows how closely a football team comes to achieving perfection in a game across multiple domains. The system ranks a team on a scale of .000 to 1.000 -- .500 is roughly average and .600 is extraordinary. No Super Bowl-winning team has ever topped .600 in the MPI rating.

According to Murray, who authored The Mental Performance Index: Ranking the Best Teams in Super Bowl History, the Giants' MPI for the Super Bowl came out to  .522, compared to the Patriots, who managed a .500 ranking for the game.

"This game was played at a higher than average level for a Super Bowl game. Overall, the Giants clearly outperformed the Patriots in terms of total team performance, so we know that the better performing team in fact won the game," Dr. Murray said. "Justice was realized! Over 90 percent of the time, the higher-performing team will win a football game as reflected on the MPI total score, so the theory that performance wins games is indeed valid."

What MPI does is factor in overall consistency as part of its formula and very rarely does a team with a lower MPI lose the Super Bowl. The last time was in 2005 when the Pittsburgh Steelers had a lower MPI than the Seattle Seahawks, who lost the game.

Through statistical analysis, Dr. Murray has created a balance system that values plays based not only on their outcome but also their impact. In essence, MPI weighs in a comprehensive, balanced fashion each team play as it objectively looks at how the 11 players as a unit performs. It is the truest way to measure how in sync a team is not just physically but also mentally.

Adjustments are made based on the observed mental performance. More than raw yardage or basic statistics, captured within this number is the pressure and significance of the moment and the execution of the team in the moment. It requires an expert human being to evaluate the moment and the significance of the play in the scheme of all four quarters. Field position, clock time and score are all factors that must be weighed.

It is in the pressure packed moments that this game was won according to MPI. Given that the Giants won on their last drive of the game, this shouldn't necessarily be a surprise, but the disparity between the two teams in the clutch according to MPI is shocking.

"The main advantage for the Giants came in pressure situations, as the Giants outperformed the Patriots in all pressure situations combined by a .569 to .461 margin," Dr. Murray said. "But whereas the Patriots offense in pressure situations was identical to the Giants defense as both teams scored .536, it was when the Giants were on offense that the greatest difference occurred.

"The Giants offense dominated the Patriots defense in pressure moments by a wide margin of .591 to .417."

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Giants GM Reese expects some changes (AP)

09 Feb
2012
by in Fantasy Football, General
The New York Giants already started preparing to defend their Super Bowl title, just days after winning their second NFL title in five seasons. General manager Jerry Reese said Thursday he expects a strong core of players to return next year, but cautioned "there will definitely be some changes." That's no surprise considering 20 players are set to become unrestricted free agents in...
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The hidden play of Super Bowl XLVI: Justin Tuck’s third-quarter sack

09 Feb
2012
by in Fantasy Football, General

Eli Manning's 38-yard pass to Mario Manningham on the New York Giants' game-winning drive late in the fourth quarter is rightly regarded as the play of the game in Super Bowl XLVI -- it was, quite simply, the single-greatest throw this writer has ever seen. But if there was a "1a" play for the Giants, it had to be Justin Tuck's sack of Tom Brady with 6:12 left in the third quarter.

Not only did the third-down takedown stop the Pats from driving when they were still up, 17-12, but Brady re-aggravated his left (non-throwing) shoulder on the play, and backup Brian Hoyer was seen throwing on the sideline during the Giants' corresponding drive.

Before that sack, Brady was on an absolute tear -- he broke Joe Montana's record for consecutive completions in a Super Bowl, and he was 20 of 24 for 201 yards and two touchdowns. After that sack? Try 7 of 17 for 75 yards and the pick by Giants linebacker Chase Blackburn on a deep attempt to tight end Rob Gronkowski.

How much did it affect him? Hard to say -- Brady made a few more errant throws after the play, but the receiver drops were also killers. The famed drop by Wes Welker was a great touch pass that was high but in Welker's hands, and two plays in which Deion Branch ran across the middle and couldn't come up with the ball were also adjustment errors by the receiver.

What happened to the Pats in the last 20 minutes of the game was just as much about the Giants' brilliant defensive adjustments. With full knowledge that New England had no deep threat (they played their safeties shallow through most of the game), the Giants did something they also did in Week 9 when they beat the Pats, 24-20 -- they kept linebackers in the middle of the defense as zone spies to counter Brady's seemingly endless slants, crosses and posts. On Branch's first drop, linebacker Michael Boley was waiting for him just off the middle to Brady's left, and Branch didn't slow up to find the pocket where Brady was throwing.

As our buddy Greg Cosell wrote on the NFL Films blog, Giants defensive coordinator Perry Fewell called this game about as well as any coach possibly could.

So, while it's not clear that correlation equaled causation on the Tuck sack, we do know one thing -- Brady's stats did a total 180 after that play. That's one reason I thought Tuck should have been named the Most Valuable Player of the game ... until Eli Manning uncorked the best throw I've ever seen.

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Butterfingers stunt tweaks Welker’s drop (AP)

07 Feb
2012
by in Fantasy Football, General
People aren't quite done piling on New England Patriots receiver Wes Welker for a dropped fourth-quarter pass that helped the New York Giants win the Super Bowl. An online pawnbroker dumped hundreds of Butterfinger candy bars in Boston's Copley Square on Tuesday with a note: "Thank you Wes Welker." The tongue-in-cheek stunt by Pawngo.com drew takers for the candy and a citation...
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