Big Blue Kickoff Live 11/2 | Back after the Bye

0:04 It's time for a big blue kickoff live.

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0:23 Let's go out there like a bunch of crazy dogs and have some fun. Hello again, everybody, and welcome back. This is Monday's episode of Big Blue Kickoff Live, presented by Cadillac, the official luxury vehicle of the New York football giants. Paul Dottino, Matt Saitek with you. After a few days off, watching the NFC East continue to crumble, we come to you from the New York Giants podcast studio, presented by the Hackensack Meridian. Help folks keep getting better.

0:50 The phone number is 201-939-4513. 201-939-4513. An archive of this show and our entire podcast network is on the Giants mobile app, podcast platforms everywhere, the Giants YouTube channel, and at Giants.com slash podcasts. Well, folks, I hope you had a few restful days over the course of the week because it was a beautiful week. The weather here, I cannot believe it's November, Matt. It doesn't make any sense to me.

1:16 It's crazy. It's beautiful out. It's going to be like 70 degrees today.

1:20 I can't get over it.

1:22 I'm loving it.

1:23 I think we were owed this after, what was it, nine straight weekends of rain?

1:27 Yes, not to mention last winter being pretty horrendous. Two blizzards.

1:32 Yeah.

1:32 Yeah.

1:33 So I think we're kind of owed this. I don't know how long we can take it, but if we can go for another couple of weeks. Actually, if we can go for, let's see, let's take it at least through the Washington Commanders game on that Thursday night in a couple of weeks. How about if we can take it through that? I think we would be ahead of the curve.

1:49 Yeah, that would be nice.

1:51 In any event, folks, for those of you who have been on a different planet for the course of the last several days... We do need to tell you that the Cardinals in dramatic fashion came from behind with Garner Minshew at quarterback and after missing a potential game winning point after with six seconds to go, knocked off the Dallas Cowboys in overtime. We saw last night the Philadelphia Eagles struggle mightily as the Washington Commanders laid a hammer on them in the second half and rolled to a victory over Philadelphia. And so this leaves us this morning with the New York football giants in first place in the NFC East at 4-2-1 and no one else in the division. No one else in the division has two

2:36 or three losses. In fact, the closest team is the Washington Commanders at 2-4-1 because Dallas is 3-5 and Philadelphia is 2-6. Matt, there's not much more that could be enjoyable for a team's fan base than when they have the bye week off and the other division decides to go into the toilet.

2:58 Yeah, I mean, with the rest of the NFC East, yesterday went exactly how all of us were hoping it would. And, you know, it came out great for the Giants. Obviously, Gardner Minshew, just what he did is what J.J. McCarthy came in and did against the Saints, except, you know, that last pass attempt where J.J. 's went incomplete to Isaiah Likely in the end zone. Gardner Minshew was able to connect with Michael Wilson. They obviously missed the extra point, and it's been a while since I was that close to, like, throwing the remote at the TV and like actually breaking my television. Cause I was, whoa, I was jumping up into, I scared my wife. My wife is at the tape at the desk doing work. And I literally started screaming

3:42 when they connected on that pass for the touchdown. And then almost threw my remote at the TV when he missed the extra point. And obviously didn't end up mattering because the Cowboys went three and out in overtime. And then the Cardinals went right back down. The kicker chatter Island got his redemption. Yeah. And then last night, The Commanders won. They did look like the better team. They did.

4:06 The Eagles are also very wounded.

4:08 They are.

4:08 I mean, who isn't now? I don't want to hear about any other team talk about injury woes with what the Giants have also been dealing with this season, and yet the Giants are still 4-2-1. So yesterday went great for the Giants in terms of the rest of the division. Now we get back from the bye. Obviously we have this– Sunday's matchup against the Eagles, which, again, not only was it good for the Giants that the Eagles lost because it dropped them to 2-6, but if they had won, then they would have been going into this game thinking, we got a little bit of momentum. We win this game.

4:42 We're fully back in the division race. That's kind of gone now. Not that they're out of it at 2-6, but with the way they've looked, it seems like they have a very, very uphill battle. So they're definitely... It was a step back for them, obviously. And, you know, one more loss against the Giants, that would be three straight losses against the NFC East, dropping to 2-7, going into their bye. Things would not be looking good for them.

5:07 So it was good that the momentum did not shift in the Eagles' favor. And now the Giants have an opportunity with these next two weeks to really just strengthen their lead in this division race. If you go 2-0... Over the next two weeks, which will not be an easy feat, but if you do that, you are in such, such good position. Entering into what we know will be the very tough part of the schedule. It's very plausible.

5:37 I mean, let's face it, the way this division has played out so far this year. No one would laugh at you if you said, oh, Giants could be favored going into Philly because the Eagles are on a swoon and they are badly beaten up.

5:50 I don't know. I don't know if they are. I believe I saw someone posted a screenshot on Twitter this morning. I believe the Giants are three-point favorites. They are. In Philadelphia.

6:01 No, no. No, don't do that.

6:05 That I agree with you.

6:06 The Giants are better when people don't raise expectations.

6:11 Okay.

6:12 Do you know the Giants have, including the 2022 playoffs, have lost 13 consecutive games at the link?

6:21 Okay, did you know that?

6:23 13 in a row they have lost at that house of horrors, that chamber of terror, that mountain of misery known as the link in Philadelphia. I want to go back just to make sure I had this right. So the Giants' last win... in Philly was October 27th of 2013 when they beat them 15 to 7 thanks to Josh Brown's five field goals and that was an ugly game as I.

6:55 Do recall.

6:58 So there's a lot of history against the Giants here this week I know that Jalen Hurts is not going to play again this season for Philly. I know that Saquon Barkley is somewhat nursing a hammy, although he looks a little bit better these days. But his back has been acting up on him, and he's on a limited pitch count the last two weeks.

7:17 I think he played 30-something percent of the snaps today. There's no question. Last night, Elijah Mitchell played the most of any of the running backs. He played like 56%.

7:26 He is hampered. Anyway, we'll get more into the Giants-Eagles matchup. There's plenty of time to do that this week. I don't want to waste time doing that now. But there is no doubt that the Giants certainly have a reasonable chance of going down there and coming out of there with a win. And we already know that for the most part, you know, they could have come back and beaten Washington. They kind of shot themselves in the foot several times in that tie earlier this season. And Washington also will say they had chances and they shot themselves in the foot. So both teams tried to give that game away. And fittingly, they ended in a tie. But it's certainly reasonable to expect that the Giants could beat

8:09 Washington up here. So I don't get ahead of myself. But to your point, this is the fulcrum of the Giants season. If they should come out of these next two weeks winning these two division games, they are so much down the road to the division title. Not that they're going to win it. They still have to do a few more things to finish the job off.

8:32 But they are.

8:33 Well down the road. They are well down past the midpoint of the turnpike. They will have passed a whole bunch of toll plazas to try to get to that beautiful place known as the NFL playoffs. And so these next two weeks have the potential to be incredibly exciting around here. And by the way, if you don't have any tickets and you still want to get them, Giants.com slash tickets. There are still season tickets available for the rest of the season and single game tickets as well.

9:02 And I can only tell you, Matt, if you thought that in the first half of the season, we got to see MetLife Stadium electrified because we had some really exciting, dramatic games in this building. Imagine, imagine what it would be like on Thursday night football if they can get past Philly and take care of that first step of the two-week process. And then that Washington game is going to be lit.

9:30 I was just thinking the same exact thing. I can't even remember the last time that the Giants had, at the second half of the season, a primetime game against an NFC East opponent where the Giants were sitting in first place. I don't remember the last time that happened. It's been a long time.

9:48 It seems like forever.

9:50 I'm fully with you. MetLife Stadium will be electric. Doesn't even do it justice what it will be like if the Giants can take care of business. Well, again, take care of business. this weekend first. And then it's going to be a very quick turnaround, obviously, because it's Thursday Night Football, as you mentioned. And then the Commanders, I believe, are playing the Rams this coming weekend. So hopefully... Tough game.

10:14 The Rams with potentially Myles Garrett back this week. He's... expected to potentially return to practice hopefully the rams can take care of business then and also as just like i was saying before with eagles stop the commanders with any sort of momentum they would have because they take a two-game winning streak going into that thursday night game that kind of changes the dynamic a little bit of the division so we'll worry about this weekend first but yeah that i cannot wait for thursday night football next week uh and then just real quick before we get into the phone closer i know we got a few I just want to acknowledge, because I feel like this hasn't been talked about too much, but give props to

10:59 Joe Shane in the front office, John Harbaugh in the coaching staff, for moving as quickly as they did to acquire J.J. McCarthy. Because obviously, in his one start, he looked great. In that Saints fourth quarter, he looked great. But given what has happened across the NFL in the last couple of weeks, I don't think if They had waited a few more weeks. I don't think that the Vikings would have done that trade. Probably not. I don't think J.J. McCarthy would be a giant right now because when they did that trade, Kyler Murray, I believe, was just coming back from the concussion or had just come back. Obviously, Kyler Murray has played maybe the worst football of his career these last few weeks. It's up there. He has

11:42 just not looked great. Okay. And obviously, J.J. McCarthy was with the Vikings. You look at the Ravens and what just happened yesterday with both Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley. Jesse Minter was with J.J. McCarthy at Michigan. You better believe that he probably would have been interested in bringing back that college quarterback that won him a national championship given the Ravens situation. Great point. Just wanted to give a little tip of the cap for... Obviously, Jackson Dart got hurt on a Monday night game.

12:13 It was.

12:14 One week later that they made the trade. They didn't do it in the short week. They did it one week later. Just want to give them props for that because I genuinely don't think if they had waited a few more weeks, I don't think that that trade would have gone down.

12:25 I think that's probably very true. So really good point by you, Matt. And I have to say, in all honesty, when we read about all these trade rumors, the deadline, by the way, for those of you who may not know, is November 10th at 4 p.m. New York time.

12:39 Next Tuesday.

12:41 There you go.

12:42 So of all the trade rumors that are out there, and please don't call up here asking about do we know about a certain trade or the Giants going to get this guy or that guy. That's for the upstairs people to talk about. That's not for us to talk about. But here's what I will say. Joe Shane the other day in his bi-week press conference said that the Giants had made calls, they had identified the market, and they pretty much have an idea of who's available and what the price ranges are. They pretty much know that. So, yes, it's clear that the Giants are buyers or at least potential buyers over the course of the next week. Whether or not they make a deal, they've got to find the right fit. It's just that simple. They've got to

13:27 not only find the right player, but they've got to find the right price. And Joe Shane made it clear that it wasn't just about finding a guy who would necessarily get positive results in the short term.

13:42 But also going forward.

13:43 So he's not going to mortgage a whole slew of draft picks for a guy who's only going to play the second half of this season and might be in the final year of his deal and becomes a rental player. He's not going to do that. Yeah, I mean.

13:55 The last time you and I were on the show together was the Friday right before the Texans game. And we had a lot of calls at that time about Quinton Nelson, which we can– I'll say his name now because he's already been traded to somewhere else. He's not coming here. And that's exactly what we said. We were like, look– and this was before Joe Shane spoke. We said they're not going to– most likely not do a trade just looking at someone for 2026. If they do a trade, it's going to be someone that they plan to have here in 2026 for the rest of the year and beyond.

14:24 And if there are players at certain positions that they plan on addressing potentially in the offseason, if you have a chance to maybe get ahead of that and get ahead of the market and get someone that can help you win in 2026, but also be here for the next year, couple of years, those are the types of trades that you explore. And that's exactly what Joe Shane said when he spoke to the media last week.

14:46 Now, the only caveat to that, and I'm sure Joe Shane would second this idea if he was sitting here in this room with us, If somebody out there has a very useful player who the Giants believe can upgrade this team and he's a rental player and they're practically giving him away for a minimal cost because they just want to unload the contract, they don't plan on keeping the guy, they figure, look, we'd rather have a six-round draft pick than nothing at all. I could understand if something like that happens, but I don't think that's a priority for the Giants right now.

15:20 No. I agree with you in that if it's... I don't want to call any draft capital inconsequential, but if it's a very, very late round pick. Limited draft capital. Then I can understand it, but I don't think they would trade. We're on the same page here. Significant draft capital for a rental player. Yeah. So that's where we stand.

15:41 The Giants are back at practice today. In fact, they'll be heading out to the practice field in what, about two hours? I guess it is.

15:47 I believe so. Yeah. Was it two to four? Is it 2.30 or two?

15:52 I can't recall. Anyway, this afternoon, Giants are back in the building and they're going back out to practice as they prepare for the Philadelphia Eagles. 2.30 to 4.

16:01 And then coach speaks and then players speak.

16:03 Okay. One other item I do want to do before we get to the calls, and I apologize getting to them just a little bit late, but we do want to set the table since we've been off.

16:11 For a few days.

16:13 Over the weekend, if you did not get a chance, and I think it was, was it Friday that the Scataboo documentary dropped?

16:21 It was Thursday night. Okay.

16:25 Folks, if you love football, there is a great look inside of what happens with a player who winds up having to go through an ordeal, rehab, medical. Cam Scadaboo, when he dislocated his ankle and broke his fibula last year.

16:47 That's a career-threatening injury.

16:48 I mean, I know we didn't kind of— Play it like that on this show because you never want to look at something that dangerous and talk about the emphasizing of the negative. But it was a career-threatening injury. And he has come through it marvelously well. And the Giants video staff, the production staff, led by Big Dom.

17:08 Dom Silva. Did a terrific job.

17:11 Putting together, I believe it's like a 55-minute.

17:14 Is it a little over an hour? Might be a little over an hour. I believe so.

17:19 It's a documentary. Cam Scadaboo, the road back. And it's on Giants.com. It's on the Giants page on the YouTube site.

17:28 An hour long. It is an hour, exactly.

17:31 And he just traces Scadaboo from the time he got injured in Philadelphia on that very same link field, which the Giants will be going to on Sunday, all the way through to him making his comeback this fall. You will see a side of Scataboo that some of us get a chance to see that usually you guys don't.

17:56 He's a good dude. He is a bit wacky. He is a fun-loving child sometimes. But that's okay because he loves the game. And the game allows him to bring out the fun side of his personality. But what you will see in this documentary, not only is all of the hard work and all of the planning and all of the rehab that goes into bringing a player back to the field. And by the way, mega, mega props to all the Giants trainers, led by Lee, of course.

18:24 who was his lead rehab guy, to do what it is that they do to bring a player back. It's a really great piece.

18:35 I'm with you.

18:36 So I invite you to take a look at that.

18:39 If you haven't done it yet.

18:41 Carve out a few minutes, you know, get some spare time and take a look at that because you'll you'll have a great appreciation for some behind the scenes stuff that goes on with rehab players. And also and also you'll get a better idea of what Cam Scadaboo is all about. And I know a bunch of people have come up to me and said, gee, you know, he really seems like a great guy.

19:01 He's not just a jokester.

19:02 And I'm like, yeah, that's true. He's not just a jokester. He is a really great guy. So definitely check that out, folks. All right, 201-939-4513 is our phone number. James in Georgia, you're first on the program.

19:17 Hello. Hey, good morning, guys. Hi.

19:20 Good morning.

19:21 How you doing? Nothing much. Great bye week. I heard we said probably about the trade deadline, which is basically my call, but I think with us being... in the hunt, in the race, what do you see as needs for potential trade? I've got to give you a specific need. But just, you know, where do we improve this team so we can make that put? Last time I called, I just want to, I know I heard Brian Burns interview that he did and, you know, he gave kudos to his defense and all that.

20:05 Specifically, Kayvon Thibodeau, I might add.

20:07 Yep. Oh, and you know exactly where I'm going then, Paul, because this is the pros, and yes, he does what is called the dirty work and all that. But what do you think Brian Burns was supposed to say about, you know, somebody on his team? He's not going to throw anybody under the bus. That's for the pundits and everybody else to do. He does do... the dirty work, but again, this is in college, and if I told you that this guy had the 16th, I guess statistic-wise, he's the 16th best defender on our team, you would probably like, but he's our starting defensive end. How is he stat-wise? The stats that are on Giants.com, not just random stats, but stats that are on the team that he worked for, website, that he's our 16th or 17th

21:14 best defender, but he's our starting defensive end. That is a problem. Now, it'd be a huge problem. Depends on who you are. Depends on how you're looking at it. But if you're starting defensive end, and yes, we have a great record despite the lack of production at our defensive end position, but if you're Joe Shane and you're bringing in Yannick Ngakwe and all these other people. You're not bringing in people to help the production at that position just because you're doing it because we need help at that position. And, yes, it was a big blow losing Brian Burns, but the next guy got to step up, and he's not exactly doing that right now. He's doing something, but he's not getting home. He's not producing. He's not

22:00 getting the production, and this is a production business. Let's go, Giants. Let's go, Big Blue. Let's go, Knicks. Love you guys. Thanks for taking my call again this week. Oh, I got two more. One more thing, actually.

22:13 Go ahead.

22:14 Schedule coming up. The schedule coming up, you know, 1-0 from here on out. Every game is 1-0. Develop that mantra. Put it deep.

22:26 It's on the shirts. It's on the t-shirts.

22:28 All right, James. Yeah. But we have to beat one of the three NFC big dogs on our schedule coming up. We've got to beat one of either the Lions, 49ers, or the Seahawks. There's a lot of football left, a lot of football left to play. They're in the harder part of our schedule in.

22:51 The last six games.

22:53 But my opinion, we have to win one of those, and we'll be sitting pretty.

22:59 All right, James.

23:00 Thank you.

23:00 Thank you, James.

23:01 First things first, how about just beating Philadelphia?

23:03 I was going to say, I was with you completely on the 1-0. That's right.

23:07 He went wild.

23:07 Then you jumped ahead to the future NFC. We'll worry about the 49ers, what is it, in week 13, and then the Seahawks in week 14, and the Lions in week 16.

23:18 He was going so well on the rails, and then he just went off the rails. In terms of his Kayvon Thibodeau comment, look, I think Brian Burns' comments about Thibodeau are worth more than any fan or writer out there. I will say this. He was not specifically asked to grade Thibodeau. He was asked about the defense and unsolicited.

23:40 Brian Burns just came out and just glowed over Kayvon Thibodeau, unsolicited. So my answer to you, James, is no, you don't expect him to be negative of any one of his teammates. But there was absolutely nothing, nothing in that conversation that prompted him to to.

23:59 Glow about Tibbs.

24:01 That came out on his own, unsolicited, volunteered, because he as a veteran understands how valuable Thibodeau has been to that locker room in addition to some very stout, dirty work that he's done.

24:15 Now, does he need to be more impactful? Absolutely.

24:19 I think we would all agree with that. He needs to be more impactful. I would like to see more pressures, more quarterback hits, more sacks. I absolutely would love to see that. And he's got the whole second half of the season to make it happen.

24:32 And you know what?

24:33 They always tell you you want to peak at the end of the season. Well, if Tibbs climbs forward and in the second half has a monster second half and a monster final month of the year, no one's.

24:44 Going to give two horses butts about what he did in September. Am I right or wrong? You're right. And also— 100%, it is next man up. No doubt about it. However, next man up doesn't necessarily mean that you just automatically expect the next guy up to have the same production as the starter. I mean, it seems obvious, but Brian Burns was second in the NFL in sacks last year, was voted the number 14 overall player in the NFL by NFL players going into this year. Him getting hurt, you can't just expect Kayvon to... automatically produce the same stats or even close to the same stats as a guy that had proven to be one of the best address is in the NFL. I'm with you. I agree that you need more from him, but part of what

25:33 he has done so far and Brian Burns is not the only person that has been complimenting cave on Thibodeau because John Harbaugh does it every time he gets an opportunity. Denard Wilson does it when he gets an opportunity. The other players on the defense do it every time they get an opportunity. It wouldn't be everyone saying the same message.

25:49 if they didn't actually mean it, you know, part of what came on has been doing well is kind of opening things up for the guys around him. So I, I, yes, more production is needed. I agree with you there. And that goes for Abdul Carter as well. I mean, Abdul Carter has been a force in some of the games.

26:07 He's gotten a lot of pressures, but obviously as the Nord Wilson has said, you need some of the more of those to turn into sacks and turn into those big impact, you know, game changing plays. But, Kayvon, I mean, look, has he been playing all-pro football? No, but I don't think he's deserving of some of the criticisms I've seen people give him over the last, you know, since Brian Burns' injury.

26:33 I think he's been playing solid ball, and do we need more? For sure. Could he be playing great ball? Like, could he? I think he could. We've seen it before. He's had a double-digit sack season before, so I agree he needs to, the defense could use him to do more if they want to continue the first half of the season into the second half. But I don't think it's fair to criticize him and say that he's the 16th best defender. I know for a fact that there is no ranking of Giants.com of guys' production in terms of who is the best and who is the worst.

27:06 Yeah, I don't know where that came from.

27:08 I will say this.

27:09 John Harbaugh himself has said the Giants need to get better. He wants this team to play its best ball in December and into January. He knows right now. He's said that to us multiple times. The entire team has to play better than they have so far.

27:25 They're 4-2-1.

27:27 You stick those wins in your back pocket and you run in the other direction. That's great. Love the fact that they're sitting in first place. But, James, if you or anybody else out there thinks that this team is satisfied with the kind of ball that they have played, the answer is no. They are not satisfied with the quality of ball that they put on the field. They believe they can be a better team. And imagine this, with a two-game lead in the loss column, right now, if they do produce at a higher rate and at a better quality than they have to this point, that bodes really well for the end of the season, doesn't it?

28:06 Yeah.

28:07 So that's my answer. We go to the phones. Big Ed from Maryland is next on the show.

28:13 Hello, Big Ed. How are you?

28:15 Hey, how you guys doing?

28:17 What's up, my man?

28:18 Hey, that's Matt and that's Pauly D. How are you guys?

28:22 It's been too long, Big Ed. You've been a stranger on this program.

28:25 It's been so long.

28:27 Oh, it's been a while. No, Pauly, I've been calling, but I've been missing you. That's what it's been.

28:34 I got you. Okay. Well, you got me now.

28:37 Yes.

28:38 Isn't it interesting?

28:40 How things go in our wonderful life of giant world. Just years ago, we was trying to figure out, how in the world are we going to beat this guy? And then what do we do? We go over the top and beat them nicely.

28:57 Now, we have the guy as our coach.

29:02 And what does he do? He comes in and he shows up. A clean 21st century bill of health of the young Bill Parcells of the mid-80s, making that championship run all the way to greatness. Isn't it great, Paulie?

29:25 Big hit, big hit. I am so glad that you have had an opportunity to marinate in this for the last week before you gave us a call back. Because I got to tell you something. It was really satisfying to know that the Giants were all alone in first place, that nothing could happen to them and their positioning going into this bye week. And then it was made all the more sweeter when Dallas lost. And then you got to watch another NFC team lose last night because I did not want to see a tie. Okay, that would have been the only thing that would have upset me.

29:56 I did not want to see a tie. I wanted somebody else in the division to take a loss, and it turned out to be the Eagles, and boo-hoo, they have six now. What a shame.

30:05 Right. And look, oh, speaking of tie, how does the points go now? Because, you know, we have one win, one loss. I mean, division loss. I mean, division, no, conference win, division win, and then the home loss. How does the tie go?

30:25 Well, the tie counts as a half of win. In other words, when you establish the team's winning percentage, it goes as half of a win. So in other words, the Giants winning percentage for the purposes of the standings right now, you would divide four and a half. by seven because they're four, two, and one. It would be 4.5 by seven. That gives them their winning percentage. That's why it's kind.

30:51 Of funny, right?

30:52 If you look at the standings now and you have the standings up, you'll look and you see Dallas has a higher winning percentage, right? than Washington, even though they have fewer losses. It has to do with the whole winning percentage and how you calculate the tie. The tie doesn't go down as a zero, as a neutral. It actually goes down as half a win.

31:16 And you know what we said, Paulie? Us Giants fans outside of the normal, you know, y'all didn't talk. We saw that as a win. When we tied that game, because you know why? We didn't lose it. So when you've been losing for some years and you've been dealing with a whole lot of crap unnecessarily and finally get a tie, the commander saw it as a loss.

31:41 We saw it as a win.

31:42 Well, I think that goes just because of how the game ended at the very end. Right.

31:49 We didn't want it to be a tie.

31:51 Because they were lining– we should have been lining up for a game-winning field goal and then obviously– The clock, missed clock management led to a tie. I think that is why the very, very end of it felt the way that it did because I think we all expected the Giants to lose at the very end given where the commanders were on the field and then obviously we know what happened on the last play.

32:14 And then the other part to that, Big Ed, and you're well aware of this, the mantra of always you want to win as many home games as you can. Well, that's a missed opportunity for Washington at home because they had to settle for a tie at home. The Giants have to have Washington in their building. And if they take care of business and they get the win, well, that does put them a leg up, obviously, in the season series.

32:35 Yeah, for Washington to really get back into the division race, they're going to need to beat the Giants on Thursday night football. And obviously... That is a home game for the Giants.

32:45 See, we played around with them in that first game. We just wanted to test them out a few with their head. We're not having that.

32:51 Oh, no, we're playing around.

32:53 I wish my stomach had known that that was what it was.

32:54 You know why we're not having it, Matt? And I'm going to say this one last thing, and I'm going to go because everybody, you know, you got some more people, right? But look, we have what we call now a well-coached, turtle-and-a-half-shell, turtle power called cake. He plays dynamite defense. Kind of reminds me of Brian's time. He's so good.

33:15 You're welcome again, Barley.

33:17 Yes!

33:17 We finally got him coached right and winning right.

33:20 Love you guys, man. I'm going to try to get up again before the week is out, okay?

33:24 Big Ed, you be good, okay?

33:25 Thank you, Big Ed. Stay well.

33:26 All right, you too, man.

33:27 201-939-4513.

33:27 That's a lofty comparison.

33:28 I will say this.

33:36 I don't think it's a stretch, and I have gotten a chance to watch a lot of other games, you know, with all the games on different days. And the Giants have had some small road trips and.

33:45 A lot of home games.

33:46 I've seen probably more NFL football in the first half of this year than I have in some recent seasons. Taye Banks is playing about as well as any corner in the league right now.

33:54 He's right up there.

33:56 Yeah, so.

33:57 This is something that– But Deion, I don't want to go Deion. No, no, no. This is something that actually we've kind of talked about upstairs in our little editorial area, me and then Dan Salamone upstairs. We talk about something called like Giants goggles where sometimes we see something like a player that's here and maybe we kind of think that that player might be a little bit better than how the rest of the league views him. or something is more important than it really is just because we're inside this building. When it comes to Deontay Banks' play this season, I feel like for the first time, at least since I have been here, this is my eighth season, it's sort of the opposite. I feel like just because

34:38 of how the last couple of seasons went for Deontay Banks and the Giants overall, a lot of people, fans, even us covering the team, like, Or a little scarred a tiny bit about Deontay Banks. But you're right. The way that he has been playing this season, he has been one of the league's top cornerbacks. Like the stats show that. There's not opinion. The stats show that he has been one of the NFL's best cornerbacks. So it's funny because for the first time, it's sort of the reverse of like the Giants goggles. Because I feel like he doesn't get maybe enough credit from, you know, Giants fans, people covering the team. as he deserves for the way that he has played this season because he's been nothing

35:20 short of outstanding.

35:21 Fans, we want to remind you that the Giants Foundation will host a 5K racing kids run presented by Quest on Sunday. That's this coming Sunday, November 8th, 9 a.m. at MetLife Stadium. Net proceeds benefit the Giants Foundation. You'll receive a commemorative T-shirt. There'll be appearances by Giants legends and a live DJ. Register now at Giants.com slash 5K.

35:41 The Giants Foundation is a 501c3 nonprofit corporation. Don't forget the Giants Huddle podcast continues to rock and roll throughout the course of the season. Do we have a new one that has just come up that John may have done with a Dignitary or an NFL guy?

35:57 Nothing's gone up yet today. Nothing yet today. A decent amount last week leading into the bye week.

36:02 It's not part of the Huddle, but watch the Scataboo movie.

36:04 Okay?

36:05 It's special.

36:06 It's not part of the Huddle, but watch the Scataboo special.

36:08 It's great. All right.

36:10 And Giants TV, of course, is the free app that you can go to. It's available from all of the different platforms, including Apple TV, Roku, Amazon Fire TV and the Giants mobile app. Free video content, highlights, goofy stuff on there. It's all kinds of fun. And it's Giants TV. And again, it is free. That takes care of our promotional announcements. Now we go back to the phones, and we will go to, let's see, we will go to Jersey Moe in Florida.

36:39 You're next on the program. Hello.

36:42 Yo, guys, what's going on, man? How you doing? How you doing?

36:46 How are you?

36:46 How are you?

36:47 Beautiful.

36:48 I've seen that documentary with Scadable. Great, great documentary, man. I encourage people to watch it. It's very, very encouraging, very great.

36:57 Great.

37:00 Well, people don't realize, man, what I've been calling and been always saying. This is a David and Goliath season. We got who we got in the roster. Everybody's trying to scramble around, trying to also trade for a player here, try to trade for a player there. You know how many teams would love Thibodeau right now? Man, it's a team sport, man. He's doing the best he can. And we all trying as a team to do this. It's not just typical. You know what I mean? Everybody's trying to carry each other because they know that this division is that serious. You know, it's reachable. But we can't also go out there and think, oh, analytics stinks now. 45% of Giants can do it. We can't be stuck on that stuff.

37:51 No.

37:52 One and no mentality.

37:54 Yep.

37:54 Stay humble. Keep grinding, and forget what everybody's saying, and we got to do it one game at a time. God bless you guys. I love calling, and I love listening. Peace.

38:07 Thank you, Jersey Moe. Peace. Call again. I can say one thing. We can sit up here and talk about looking ahead. You guys can call in and talk about those upcoming NFC matchups against the top teams in the conference. I can promise you, in that locker room over there, they are only focused on this week and this week.

38:26 Over there.

38:28 You're right.

38:29 Temporary locker room over here.

38:30 Construction going on here, folks, and that's a long way to go.

38:33 They are only focused on going 1-0 this week. Absolutely. We can talk about all this other stuff, but that is where their focus is, and that is an encouraging thing.

38:41 Well, look, I don't mind saying this, folks, at the risk of kind of letting you into our emotions and It gets very tiring talking about draft position and the draft. on Halloween.

38:56 Okay.

38:57 And that's the way it's been for a lot of the past decade here. We get to Halloween and everybody's talking about, well, should you take games? And of course, that just makes us very angry on this, on this day is because that's so much against our bloodlines. But, but you always hear about, oh, you know, what's going to be, are you going to be a top 10?

39:16 You're going to be a top five. Where do you think you're going to get your pick? Should you trade the pick? What No, no, I don't give a horse's butt. Again, another thing, I don't care a horse's butt about the NFL draft.

39:31 I don't.

39:32 I care about what happens the next two and a half months of this season. That's what I care about. The draft means nothing to me right now. And it's a beautiful thing.

39:42 I know you're on board. 100%. I'm happy that I have not had one thought about the draft yet. That will come in January. Hopefully February is when we can start talking about the draft.

39:53 I cram for the draft when the FBS playoffs are played and you see some of the best players with the best teams in the playoffs. And then you see the all-star games. That's when I start cramming for the draft. With any luck... The Giants will occupy my time as long as possible. And I won't have time to do any of my cramming for the draft until I've got to work three times as hard to begin cramming for the draft as deep into the NFL postseason as possible.

40:27 Okay?

40:28 I'm being point blank as honest as I can be. That's how I feel about it.

40:33 Okay? I'm being transparent. I know you feel the same. 100%. Joey in California, you're next on the show. Hello.

40:40 Hi, guys. Good morning from California.

40:44 Good afternoon over there in the East Coast.

40:46 Yes, sir.

40:47 You guys, I don't mean to make light of this. There are flooding troubles out there in California these days.

40:54 Um, well, um, no flooding down this area, but, uh, we did have a fire in the mountains over here a few weeks ago.

41:02 I know that you do, you guys do have fires I'm aware. So hopefully everybody is, uh, minimally affected by all that stuff. And, and, and I wish you a safety.

41:12 Thank you very much. I appreciate that. Um, So, first of all, the last caller called in used the David Goliath analogy. Nice touch when it comes to the Giants, especially involving David and the Giant Goliath. Nice touch. But, Paul, you hit it on the head when you opened the show. Us in Philly at Lincoln, 13 straight years of defeat.

41:38 And.

41:39 You know, I love the mentality the Giants have on their shirts 1-0. But here's just my one question about it. Is there more pressure now because of the losing streak in Philly?

41:52 Or is it, no, those were old teams.

41:55 There's, you know, new players now. But there's still a pressure to win a division game.

42:02 And.

42:04 Just one more thing and I'll let you guys go. I know we're wearing those throwback color rush jerseys this week.

42:11 Love the look.

42:11 Just add some blue pants and it'll.

42:13 Be really cool to look at. Thank you guys.

42:16 Thank you for the call, Joey.

42:17 The Giants wore blue pants at the end of the seventies. I don't know if you remember those, but they, You've seen those pictures, haven't you?

42:25 I've seen the pictures. I don't remember because I was not born yet, but I have seen photos.

42:30 Sims actually had the misfortune of having to wear that jersey for a while. I believe Craig Morton also might have had the chance to wear those nasty, nasty blue pants. No, did not like those at all. Do you want to address this other item?

42:45 Yeah. Look, in terms of the rivalry, like, again, we can sit up here. You guys can call in and talk about the past going to Philly and to, you know, the House of Horrors. But this team is not focused on that. This is a brand-new coaching staff that was not here for any of those losses. Some of the players, yeah, obviously some of the players have been here for a few years and have dealt with some of that. But everything this year is completely new. They've made it John Harbaugh.

43:13 has made it abundantly clear since taking over anything that happened in the past, throw it away. And that includes the House of Horrors going into play at the link in Philly. So we can all, you know, think about it, talk about it, be a little scared of it. The key here and the thing to focus on, which you mentioned, is just an NFC East matchup because those are the most important matchups of your entire schedule are those divisional matchups.

43:42 So that is where the pressure is, going into a road division rival's house and trying to pick up a win. I don't care about the– like, again, we can talk about it. As a fan, I obviously want to win in Philly so badly. But I am more concerned about just going and picking up an important divisional win as we continue this quest to win the first division title in how long? 16 years?

44:09 15 years?

44:09 Yeah, yeah.

44:10 It's over a decade. That's what the importance is.

44:13 I will say this in addition to everything that I would second to Matt's comments.

44:19 I think this locker.

44:20 Room, and I've been doing this a long time, folks. This locker room's environment, mentality, the emotions, the philosophies of this locker room.

44:32 We haven't seen this type.

44:34 Of environment in the Giants locker room in well over a decade. I'm telling you that right now. It's probably been since Tom Coughlin.

44:43 Yeah.

44:44 I mean, and, you know, they've been through four other coaches since. And now Coach Arbaugh, who in my mind, as I've said before, and I guess I haven't said it in about a month and a half. I'll say it again. I see him as a blend of Bill Parcells and Tom Coughlin. I see characteristics from both guys in him. And I'm seeing a locker room and I'm feeling a locker room and a group of players that have a togetherness much like the guys well over a decade ago. Not saying that the teams of the last decade were selfish. I'm not saying that. But they did not have the dedication, the emotional attachment to each other, the selflessness, the accountability, the responsibility, all the stuff that says, Winning this game this weekend is the most important thing

45:38 on today's docket, and that's it. It's cool to see. And that's why I think this is a different team than the one that's gone down to Philly and lost all those games.

45:49 Yeah, I mean, without a doubt. You mentioned the togetherness. I mean, I know I've said this at this point, again, it was a couple weeks ago, but the amount of adversity that this team dealt with through the first seven weeks of the season alone... Was enough for the entire season. Yeah. Maybe even multiple seasons. Ridiculous drama. So, so much adversity and drama over the first seven weeks. And yet, they are 4-2-1 with a multiple game lead in the division.

46:19 Coming out of the bye week. So, I'm with you. This is the most together. I've seen this locker room. And again, no... Not saying that previous teams were not close. Because every year, the locker room is quite close.

46:33 But.

46:34 And I think it's because of the culture that this coaching staff has instilled in there. It's just on another level. And you can see it each and every week. Alex from Syracuse, you're next on the show.

46:44 Hello.

46:46 Hey, Paul.

46:46 Hey, Matt.

46:46 How are we doing today, guys?

46:47 Very good.

46:47 How are you?

46:48 How are you doing, Alex?

46:49 Hey, good, good, good, guys.

46:51 I have a point sort of back to your cave on Thibodeau thing that I'd like to get to in a second real quick.

46:55 Please.

46:55 But actually, first, real quick.

46:58 Since you're talking about sort of the dynamic of this team, Um, my, my first point was about the trade deadline. I'm a big believer in sort of building these teams through the draft and sort of building it. What I think Joe Shane would say the right way, which I honestly think he's done. I'm a, I'm a big sort of supporter of Joe Shane. Um, and I think we're starting to see that pay off. Um, but I also think that there's an element of the people forget that like this team is four, two and one as it is, you know, and I think that there is something to be said for like, not just because of cap and all those things, but if you go out and get some like sort of big name guy, who's going to walk in on

47:30 this team and, you know, and again, we're not going to say any names, but if that's the idea that people want to do, I just don't think it's, A, I don't think it's necessary, but I also think that it can kind of ruin the dynamic of a locker room because it makes, it sends the message like what you guys are, you're not enough, right? Like we've gotten this far with this group even being hurt, some of our guys being hurt and I think it sends an interesting message potentially that can sort of throw off the dynamic that you guys are talking about where there's sort of this underdog mentality and these guys are really rallying together and playing like good football and I think sometimes just going out and bringing in a name can actually

48:03 have an inverse effect and sort of break up some of that dynamic. And I don't think that that's really the Harbaugh way from what I've seen. So I'm kind of against the big, the big name trade that you're starting to see some people throw out there. And especially even up like lots of draft capital and stuff. I just, I'm just not for that personally.

48:21 Well, the one pushback I will have to that is the giant starting quarterback now for the rest of the season was someone that they just acquired a a little over a month ago, and he replaced the guy who obviously is known and seen as one of the biggest, most vocal leaders in the locker room. And that doesn't seem to have a negative effect in the locker room.

48:43 So that's my one pushback. I get your point, but that would just be my one big pushback in that J.J. McCarthy, you know, this team is going to have real success this season. It's going to be with him playing a big role. And he took the starting job from Jameis Winston, who is– obviously one of, if not the biggest leader, vocal leader in the locker room.

49:04 See, I'm going to agree with Alex, but I'm also going to say that you're not pushing back on him. The reason that I say you're not is because J.J. McCarthy, from the moment he got here, was extremely humbled. Yeah. I think the whole situation in Minnesota from whatever we heard of him he's been a model citizen since he came here and he's been embraced by this team and has embraced the trade and actually welcomed coming here and everybody welcomed him So I agree with Alex in that I think Joe Shane and John Harbaugh, as part of all of their research in finding the right guy, if they're going to make a trade, that whole personality profile is going to be part of that whole deal.

49:47 Oh, for sure. That's why I said- They're not going to bring in a diva. For sure. Like, that's why you're right. I did not say that I think you were wrong, Alex, because I think your point has merit. Yes. It's the same thing with someone that, you know, if the trade does happen, someone that's going to be here for beyond just the season, a big part of it is exactly what you just said, bringing in someone that they feel like will fit with this locker room and fit personality wise with what they have going here. Cause I agree. I don't think they want to, would want to bring someone in that would be considered, as you just mentioned, a quote unquote diva that might throw off the chemistry in this locker room.

50:22 And for whatever we heard about McCarthy, that people thought he was a bit of an attitude issue or a bit selfish. And there were a lot of those chatters going on around the draft. And when he got to Minnesota, we haven't seen any of that. In fact, you know, all we heard from the Giants is that when he was here on the draft visit, they hit it off great with him in terms of the front office. And and clearly he seems thrilled to be here. So, you know, it just goes to show you, you can't always believe what you hear or what you see. You got to have firsthand experiences with anybody. So, Alex, I think we agree with you. And I would say that you're very, very right. Also, Matt, in saying that. McCarthy was a

51:02 guy who does fit that. And if you get a guy who doesn't fit that, that's a different story. I don't think they would make a deal for someone who doesn't fit this environment.

51:12 I totally agree. I think, Matt, it's a great point. My only pushback on your pushback would be that I think The timing of when that happened was a little earlier in the season. I also think that position was a little bit more unique, specifically maybe to the positions that are being thrown around now. And also, the compensation was not the compensation that is being hypothesized for some of the guys that they're talking about now.

51:34 For sure.

51:36 I wasn't talking.

51:39 About the draft capital part of it. I just wanted to touch on the point of bringing... somewhere new in as a possible upgrade.

51:46 And he's fit. So anyway, you're totally right.

51:49 And I think it's, and I'm happy that he's here.

51:51 Um, cool.

51:52 My, my, my, my only other point is, and I just, let me get on my soapbox for two seconds and I'll, I'll leave you to it. I think you're going to agree with me, especially on this Paul. I am so sick in the analytics fantasy football world era of pundits and fans talking about certain statistics and as if they are fully representative of the way an individual football player plays.

52:14 I think in other sports, I think in other sports, baseball, hockey, basketball, I think there's a little bit more of an individual stat line that can sort of suggest. You show me any individual stat line in football, and I can tell you at least nine other guys on the field, on that person's team and on the other team, that have a huge impact on that stat line in any.

52:36 Game, any play.

52:37 Any season. There's so many variables in a football game that to look at a singular stat and define some of it. And I think the sack debate of all of those stats is the worst debate. I mean, like, here's a great example.

52:53 Abdul Carter.

52:54 Abdul Carter doesn't have, like, light up the world sack stats this year. But if you watch the tape, you cannot tell me that Abdul Carter is not shaping up to be an elite edge rusher.

53:06 In this league.

53:08 I think it was him a couple games ago, he got fast pressure, one of the fastest in the league, and caused an interception. Now, he's not going to get credit for that interception on his stat line. I think he should, but he'll get credit for the pressure. But plenty of fans and pundits will throw out the sacking, but they'll never mention the impact that pressure has because they're so focused on the sacks. And of course we want sacks, and I think that this team as a whole is going to get more sacks. But I just think to pin it on individuals and to say that a guy like Kayvon is a bust because he doesn't have certain fact numbers, I think you just don't know ball.

53:43 I think if you're talking that way, you just aren't watching the tape, you're not really watching these games, and you just kind of don't know what you're talking about. Now, there's valid complaints to be made, but if your whole thing is there's just not facts, I just think it's a waste of everybody's time, and I just hear it so much, and it drives me up a wall. So anyway, I just wanted to get on my soapbox, and I appreciate you giving me the space.

54:04 No, Alex, please.

54:06 Anytime you want to rant against people who believe in the numbers, please feel free to call this program. Anytime I'm on, and I will give you the floor.

54:13 Have a great day. Yeah, just to support what Alex was saying, and I know your feelings on pro football focus, but just hear me out. Abdul Carter, as Alex mentioned, Has two sacks on the season. If you were to just look at that, you would say, oh, well, that's not that impactful. PFF has him down as the third best edge rusher in the NFL this year, behind only Aiden Hutchinson and Will Anderson Jr., who are widely considered two of, if not the two best edge rushers.

54:42 In the NFL.

54:43 They have him as number three.

54:44 Okay.

54:46 Good for them. I'm just saying.

54:47 Hey, they got something right.

54:49 Exactly. Agreeing with Alex's point that just the box score stats don't always mean everything.

54:54 You know, and he's right, because truthfully, when you look at stat lines, individual stats or stat lines in the other sports, because there are so many fewer people involved in that stat, it's so much less meaningful in football.

55:12 Everything in football needs the content.

55:15 Because of the spider web theory that I talk about, where one strand connects to how many other strands and this affects this and this affects this and that, this and that and the other thing. It's no pro football is the greatest game on the face of the earth. OK, the National Football League is rules all. OK, I'm sorry.

55:35 That's how I feel. And I'm never going to get off of that. And part of the reason I love it so much is because there is so much to unpack with every single play and with every single player and with every single philosophy, with every single decision that's made, every single play that's made. There is so much around it, context, that if you really, truly want to digest it, it's like savoring a great dish of spaghetti and meatballs. I had to get a food analogy in there somehow.

56:10 Tom in the Jersey Shore, you're next.

56:13 Paul, I just wanted to react to the comment you were making about chemistry. And one of the things that I think is, in addition to the great addition of coaching, is the experience that the team had at the Greenbrier. When you get an opportunity to bond like that off-site, I think it makes a difference versus what we've done these last few seasons.

56:33 Tom, I think it's a very interesting remark because I've talked to a number of players over the last couple of weeks that have actually referred to that trip saying, you know what? It was a pain in the butt.

56:45 All right.

56:45 Nobody liked being away.

56:46 Nobody necessarily was thrilled with the thought of going there. But in retrospect, every player that has said that to me also came back and said, but you know what? There was a lot of value in.

56:59 Amen, and I hope that, you know, I know there's a big cost to it, but if they can continue that, well, let's see what happens. Let's see where this takes us. But the other thing, Matt, I wanted to react to, as well, my wife was last night, why are you screaming at the television? The Giants are off this week, and I had the same reaction when the extra point got missed. So I almost lost the TV. Glad I saved it. But, you know, it just makes me think the only other time this season I've come close to throwing the remote was when I thought we had our kicking situation fixed. What's your thoughts on how we get right in the kicking game?

57:36 I think you show patience with Zavada. They did a lot of research on him. They thought they had fixed him early during training camp. He was sensational all throughout the last part of the summer, the preseason, the beginning of the season. And then, boom, he kind of hit some skids. I don't think they're going to give up on him yet, and I don't think that they should.

58:01 I would, however, if it were me and I was in this situation, I were Team X, I would probably think about adding a kicker to the practice squad just in case something doesn't get squared away. But I would not give up on Zavada if I were the Giants. And I think that unless something crazy happens this week and he just has a dreadful practice, I certainly would want him kicking in the link.

58:26 Yeah, I mean.

58:28 Do we have a kicker on the practice squad?

58:29 Not right now.

58:30 No.

58:31 It's just Zavada is the only one.

58:32 The other guys that were in camp, are they available or not?

58:36 Jason Sanders is currently the kicker for, who is he with now?

58:40 He's with somebody.

58:41 He was kicking yesterday.

58:42 Yeah, he was with somebody. I forget where he is, but he's in the NFL.

58:46 He did originally sign with the Jets, but then they let him go. But they let him go. Oh, no, he's back with the Jets. Oh, he's back with them now. Okay.

58:54 Soles is, I believe, available. I don't think he has signed with anybody.

58:58 One thing I'll say about Zavada and Coach when he spoke to the media last week was said that there are, at least as a last week, last Monday, there were no plans at that time to bring in another kicker. He has missed five field goals this year. Three of them have been from beyond 50 yards, which are not like you obviously want your kicker to make those of course, but those are the most difficult kicks you're going to take are the long ones. And especially considering some of the weather that the giants have played in. I mean, two of those misses are, We're in that Commander's game where it's pouring rain and we're 50-yard field goals. So I think they're going to have some level of patience with him, obviously.

59:39 Tom, I'll say this before we let you go because we do have to close out the program. But when a guy has that much talent, you better think long and hard before you give up on him. He's got too much talent for me to ask him to leave the building.

59:56 I will be patient. I thank you guys for everything you do.

59:58 Love the show.

59:59 Thank you, Tom.

1:00:00 Be well.

1:00:00 Thank you.

1:00:01 All right.

1:00:02 That'll do it for today's edition of Big Blue Kickoff Live. Thanks to everyone for participating. Man, it's so good to be back.

1:00:09 It is.

1:00:10 Back and still in first place. Indeed it is.

1:00:14 Remember, Big Blue Kickoff Live is heard every single weekday from 12 o'clock p.m., one hour long, every single weekday here live on the East Coast. Of course, you can click us in on the World Wide Web, wherever you are, and enjoy your Internet service. Thanks for listening to today's episode of Big Blue Kickoff Live, presented by Cadillac, the official luxury vehicle of the New York football Giants. Coming to you from the Giants podcast studio, presented by Hackensack Meridian Health.

1:00:40 Keep getting better.

1:00:41 The show is part of the Giants platforms everywhere, the Giants YouTube channel, and Giants.com slash podcasts. From outside tech, I'm Paul Dottino. We'll see you next time.