Hero, Nero, Zero for Giants-Titans Game

Admit it, when Eli Manning threw the pick-six to shrink the Giants’ lead to 30-7 in Sunday’s game against the Titans, a part of you -- because you were obviously watching -- wondered if Eli and his cohorts had it in them to blow a 30-point lead.

Last week they coughed up a 21-0 lead to Jacksonville and handed (fumbled?) the Jaguars its biggest comeback in franchise history. Could the Giants extend their season of giving by presenting the Titans with the biggest comeback in that team’s history?

No, Eli didn’t quite have it in him this time, and the pick-six turned out to be a momentary blip (and a horrific reminder of his ever-present potential) and the Giants beat the Titans 36-7.

Following the game, our blue ribbon panel once again convened to hand out honors to those who performed heroically, insanely and with ineptitude.

Hero: Giants rookies

On Friday I predicted that Odell Beckham Jr. had a decent chance of breaking Flipper Anderson’s 25-year-old record of 336 receiving yards in this game, because Beckham is awesome, Eli has shown himself to have few qualms about throwing it up for grabs and hoping his receiver makes a big play, and the Titans were coming off a game in which they allowed 238 yards receiving to DeAndre Hopkins.

Beckham didn’t disappoint; at first, anyway.

He had six catches for 98 yards and a touchdown -- in the first quarter. I’m no math wizard, but that put him on pace for nearly 400 yards receiving, which would have easily shattered Anderson’s mark and made this game historic.

But nooooo, fellow rookie Andre Williams had to go and be all productive on the ground and stuff, running for 131 yards on 24 carries with a touchdown of his own.

A well-balanced offense is the ideal when a team is in playoff contention, but when they’re playing out the string, we want ball hogs and broken records. Wise up, Giants rookies.

Nero: Titans fans with bags on their heads.

Life is short and there are innumerable ways to spend your Sunday afternoon. You can go to the park; take to the highway to drive slow in the passing lanes; or maybe sit in a bookstore and read an entire book and then put back on the shelf without having to pay for it.

In short, there are plenty of relaxing, enjoyable ways to spend 50 percent of your weekend. But attending a football game and wearing a paper bag over your head? That's what some Titans fans did to register their disgust with the team's play. Seriously, just save on paper and just write an L on your forehead. Ya know, because it’s the team that’s a bunch of losers.

Zero: Sense out of Antrel Rolle and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie.

When you’ve gone more than two months without winning a football game, it’s understandable if you’re a little excited that the team’s fortunes have shifted (for the time being, anyway) and the team is finally winning.

After Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie scored on a pick-six -- a high-stepping touchdown that was negated after Giants’ defensive lineman Damontre Moore de-cleated Titans’ quarterback Zach Mettenberger -- Antrel Rolle celebrated by taking a “snapshot” of Rodgers-Cromartie, who mugged for the camera.

This team had lost an NFL-high seven games in a row, and was now winning a meaningless game against the Titans. But two veterans, who probably should know better, decided that was a good opportunity to make a Kodak moment.

Embarrassing.

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