https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/about daily 0.75 2024-08-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1629072200854-QGRBZ51OQEWFI7IN3GW6/Screenshot+%2830%29.png About https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/contact daily 0.75 2023-08-16 https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/home daily 1.0 2024-08-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1628562664193-O01PFV8M10W05ZKNXLXU/IMG_6653.jpg Home - Hello all. My name is Stephen Lebitsch, I am a native of New York, a graduate of the Class of 2021 at Fordham University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communications and minor in Sports Journalism, and currently a contributing writer at On SI and FanSided, two networks of hyper-focused, localized team sites for the Sports Illustrated and Minute Media brands. My professional byline extends back to my alma mater’s journal of record, the Fordham Ram, and has since touched various outlets including Empire Writes Back, New York Giants on SI (formerly Giants Country), Sportskeeda, and Talking Points Sports. As a young sports media professional yearning for a full-time career in the industry, I additionally have knowledge and interests in communications, marketing, public relations and social media, areas where I strongly believe my skills and background can thrive in any opportunity. All of my work samples, academic projects, and more can be found here on my portfolio, along with my contact information. As I continue to grow my career, add the latest valuable skills and seek new opportunities within the industry, I welcome chances to network with fellow industry professionals and sports enthusiasts eager to develop relationships that will serve as the valuable catalysts towards the next level of the space. Refer to my contact page for all of my contact information! https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/2b2159e8-cae7-4a8f-a9b6-ceed231bfcc0/TMKS+ESPN+98.7+NY.jpg Home Inside the studio of the Michael Kay Show at ESPN NY 98.7 FM in 2019 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/d329ec9e-bab1-477f-b1d0-40b7fb30232c/Screenshot+%2810%29.png Home The Fordham Ram Sports Section https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/68eb2174-310f-4b7b-8e0d-a560fbeb12fe/Sports+Illustrated+Fan+Nation+Giants+Country.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/eeb71eb6-c727-45ff-81e0-12e4772cef13/ESPN+NY+98.7.jpg Home https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/78565b75-c359-4e4a-ba10-4f2589e62417/Talking+Points+Sports+Logo.jpg Home Talking Points Sports Logo https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/700cb7e9-13f1-49fc-adbb-0ab8f9fe26e1/The+Empire+State+of+Sports+Logo+1.png Home The Empire State of Sports Logo https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/empirestateofsports daily 0.75 2021-08-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1629078183132-6O4CVAB6531PRWFIOO9N/The+Empire+State+of+Sports+Logo+1.png The Empire State of Sports - In the Fall 2019 semester at Fordham University, I took a course called Writing for Online Media, in which each student was tasked with a semester-long project of creating, publishing, and managing their own blog. The direction and theme we took was completely up to us, the only real instructions given to us were to publish at least one post per week prior to each class meeting and provide comments and feedback on our fellow classmates’ blogs. Thus, I of course chose my site to be about sports, particularly within the realm of the New York market which I had grown up and was attending school in, and that was where The Empire State of Sports was conceived. When I was first ideating the website, I envisioned it being a destination where one doesn’t simply receive the typical game recaps or state lines that can be found all over the Internet, but where the passionate, New York sports fans can get that quality opinion and commentary surrounding the latest news and storylines of their favorite teams. The goal is to have the content arise from the New York perspective and create the discussions that New Yorkers are having regarding their sports teams. Even now, the platform is a continuous work in progress, a personal project which I have more objectives for in the future. As I continue to pursue my career in sports, TESS will continue to be something I incorporate into that. Visit the site here and check out any of the content that’s been published for any of the major teams in New York. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/minutemedia daily 0.75 2021-08-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1629342563554-VNSXV1QBHR56JNYNNW93/Minute+Media+Logo+2.png Minute Media/12up - In the Summer of 2020, more notably known as the summer of COVID-19, despite losing all my other applications for internships due to pandemic cancellations, I was offered a remote internship position with Minute Media to work with their brand, 12up. The role was a Sports Journalism Intern, where my role was to help create content, drive traffic, and attract new audiences on the 12up website. Under the direction of the 12up editors, I was assigned content subjects to work with through a selected headline and it was my job to do my research on the topic, produce the content, and ensure it’s accuracy and soundness before submitting it to the editors. Those editors helped myself and the other interns learn ways to improve our writing and arguments along with introducing us to important elements of digital media content growth such as SEO, social media strategy, image and media embeddings, backlinking and more. View one of my pieces for 12up.com here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/odell-beckham-jr-the-media-phenomenon-paper daily 0.75 2021-08-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1629337480949-Y7RONVQG766J55C98AH9/Odell-Beckham-Jr..jpg Research Paper on the Phenomenon of NFL Wide Receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and the Media - Term Research Paper for a Sports Communications class exploring the relationship between Odell Beckham Jr. and the negative media coverage he received during his time in New York. Analyzes the question of "is he maligned, treated unfairly, or his own worst enemy?". Every now and then in the sports world, we are gifted with these once in a lifetime athletes who come in to their respective game and do the unfathomable. These athletes bear names like Michael Jordan, Derek Jeter, Lebron James, and Tom Brady and they make unforgettable plays, smash records, and soak up the attention of the media and fans. Most of them understand how to excel in everything they do, both on and off the field or court of play, however for some this is not the case. Unfortunately, there are times when an athlete has incredible athletic prowess and can play with the best of them, but their lack of professionalism and response to the fame tarnishes their reputation. Their behaviors and actions provide a source of negative sensationalism for the media and a poor representation of their team. In recent years, no athlete has shown this better than Odell Beckham Jr. Read the full paper here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/sports-brand-political-activism-and-its-impacts-on-brand-consumption daily 0.75 2021-08-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1629340013706-V1LFBQGH3DE5SC581IZD/Sports+Brand+Politics+Activism+Paper+Sqaurespace+Site.png Sports Brand Political Activism and its Impacts on Brand Consumption - A research paper I completed for a Promotional Culture class at Fordham that investigated the realm of sports brands' political activism in advertisement and marketing campaigns. Attempted to tackle questions of "why do sports brands engage in political activism through advertisements" and "how does brands mediated political activism impact the consumption of the brand". Use Nike and Dick's Sporting Goods as valuable case studies for my paper. Read the full paper here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/the-fordham-ram daily 0.75 2021-08-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1628819070689-9ZIEDU8JK3OW18M9Z9KQ/Fordham+Ram+Logo.jpg The Fordham Ram - My two and a half year tenure with the Fordham Ram began in March 2019. At the time, I was looking for a new niche through which to etch my name in it’s history, hone the skills I wanted to craft, and contribute to the broader conversations within the campus community. After a short stint with the campus radio station, I believe I found that comfortable spot for me to do those things in the Fordham Ram. I began writing as a contributor for the sports section, producing weekly articles for a few individual blog pages on the newspaper’s online publication. The early portion of my Ram work tended to focus on my simple thoughts in recapping the weekend’s events for the professional football teams, the Giants and Jets. Although I could approach the subjects easily from the standpoint of being a fan, it took me a few articles to ascertain the feel of sports writing, something I felt was reflected by my third piece being chosen to be featured in the print version of the paper. Eight months later, I was offered the opportunity to become a staff writer for the sports section. That November, and through the remainder of volumes 102 and 103, I wanted to take my writing to the next level, delving deeper than just the box score on a Monday morning. I expanded my subject areas and contributed thoughtful analysis on the latest stories happening at the local and national level—trades and acquisitions, player trends and analysis, executive/front office drama, celebratory accomplishments and heartbreaking, unfathomable loss, political/social strife, off the field scandals, and the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic. With every article came more trust from the editing team that I could produce well-researched and formulated pieces and by the time I finished my final piece before graduation, I felt that I had accumulated a portfolio capable of showcasing my ability to bring strong, opinionated perspectives to the conversation. Below is my entire portfolio of work for the Fordham Ram, stretching from sophomore to senior year. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/the-fordham-ram/the-giants-early-season-woes monthly 0.5 2021-08-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1628994519234-DT248U714MQLAYA01M4A/Eli+Manning.jpg The Fordham Ram - The Giants’ Early Season Woes - In the months and weeks leading up to the 2019-2020 season, also known as the National Football League’s 100th season, the New York Giants continuously stressed to questioning media and fans their team-wide goal of being a competitive football team while rebuilding the weak spots in their roster. As Big Blue kicked off their season with their biggest rival, the Dallas Cowboys, various moments in the game and the final score showed otherwise. Following an exciting first drive that resulted in a touchdown, the Giants were manhandled by Dallas who simply took advantage of their defense, especially the cornerbacks, and quickly ran up a 35-10 score. It seemed as if the Cowboys were running at a different speed and level than the Giants, whose offense would only tally on one more touchdown. The New York Giants’ coaching staff did not employ the right scheme throughout the game that could have changed the outlook of the game. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/the-fordham-ram/the-antonio-brown-saga-reveals-nfls-disciplinary-flaws monthly 0.5 2021-08-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1628993274734-4DRS57WRVNUG72OF67QW/Raiders+Antonio+Brown+Ram+Article.jpg The Fordham Ram - The Antonio Brown Saga Reveals NFL’s Disciplinary Flaws - Throughout the first weeks of the 2019-2020 NFL season, wide receiver Antonio Brown has been the league’s biggest spectacle and a major talking point for the media, but for all the wrong reasons. Since being traded from the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2018, Brown has created multiple distractions and issues within the Oakland Raiders organization and has been the subject of numerous sexual assault accusations. Punches were nearly thrown at Raiders general manager Mike Mayock, vile comments and other issues regarding former teammates, coaches, an ex-trainer and various accusers were posted on social media, and threats were made to similar targets through text messages which were leaked. All of these instances escalated this past week as Brown, who joined the New England Patriots for a brief one-game stint, was accused of another sexual assault he apparently committed in 2017 and responded with a vicious verbal attack on the accuser. The attack included group text messages in which he harasses her, saying she started a story just for cash and tells some acquaintances to “look up her background history to see how broke this girl is.” In a season where the league has already handed out suspensions to top players for known but lesser offenses, allowing Antonio Brown to join teams is a bad look for the NFL and how they proceed with disciplinary measures. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/the-fordham-ram/jones-defense-shine-for-giants monthly 0.5 2021-08-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1628991952346-FA67XP73WU2CLUZ1MIIL/New+York+Giants+Daniel+Jones+3.jpg The Fordham Ram - Jones, Defense Shine for Giants - Last Sunday, it took an incredible comeback performance from rookie quarterback Daniel Jones in his first career start for the New York Giants to defeat the Tampa Bay Buccaneers for their first win of the season. This weekend, Jones’ amazing performance continued, with a significantly improved defense, and it was a full team affair as the Giants took care of the Washington Redskins at home 24–3. Most importantly, they did it when expected to, despite being without their star running back Saquon Barkley and having a severely banged up line-backing core. Washington came into the game 0–3 and in a vulnerable position and Big Blue took advantage of that from the get-go. Read the full piece here https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/the-fordham-ram/jets-find-spark-in-win-over-dallas monthly 0.5 2021-08-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1628990896029-7VU7O4ARTNZSLBSNZ716/New+York+Jets+Sam+Darnold+Offense.jpg The Fordham Ram - Jets Find Spark in Win Over Dallas - Heading into Week 6 of the NFL season, the New York Jets looked to once again be a franchise completely dead in the water. The team’s record stood at a winless 0–4, superior to only the remaining winless teams who had more losses than them: the Dolphins, Redskins and Bengals. All the high praise that head coach Adam Gase received prior to the season, including his now-contested nickname of “the quarterback whisperer”, proved thus far to be an absolute false narrative. To make matters worse, the Jets’ future franchise quarterback, Sam Darnold, had missed the last four games with mono, making the offensive struggles that more intense. With two more weeks of a tough start to the schedule facing them in matchups with the Dallas Cowboys and New England Patriots, many Jets supporters were starting to wonder if it was time to pull the plug on the season and prepare to tank for Tua Tagovailoa. Fortunately for them, their beloved second-year quarterback had other plans. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/the-fordham-ram/everyone-responsible-for-giants-lack-of-accountability monthly 0.5 2021-08-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1628990171545-ERJWVXYE28YJ7C7YDXCR/New+York+Giants+Daniel+Jones+Draft.jpg The Fordham Ram - Everyone Responsible for Giants’ Lack of Accountability - The New York Giants’ 2019 season is quickly spiraling out of control. Big Blue suffered its fourth straight loss this past Sunday at Ford Field to the Detroit Lions by the score of 31-26, despite a highlight performance by Daniel Jones in which he threw for 4 touchdowns and 322 yards. Their record now stands at 2-6, and the chances of staying close behind the Cowboys and Eagles in the NFC East race for a possible playoff spot has become slim to none. With the season reaching its halfway mark and the Giants’ likely final attempt to string in a win to temporarily save their season looming in Week 9’s matchup with the Dallas Cowboys on Monday Night Football, New York is desperately searching for the answers to salvaging it. The first of these answers is accountability, and following the loss to Detroit, the players understand that very well. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/the-fordham-ram/throwing-of-david-fizdale-under-the-bus-by-knicks-execs-shameful monthly 0.5 2021-08-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1628989027292-LHVHYJRGIJYL3SZM1WVS/Knicks+Front+Office.jpg The Fordham Ram - Throwing of David Fizdale Under the Bus by Knicks’ Execs Shameful - The New York Knicks are a perfect representation of what happens when you have poor, unprepared leadership that drops the ball during the biggest moments. When Plan A for the 2019 offseason — trade Kristaps Porzingis to Dallas and pursue Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving in free agency with $72 million in cap space—completely blew up in the Knicks executives’ faces, they tried to establish a Plan B to keep their slow but steady progression moving upward. Through the first ten games of the 2019—20, it appears that “Plan B” has also completely failed. To their disbelief, while to the expectations of others, this mindset has been anything but inaccurate. The free agent group of power forwards have done almost nothing to improve this roster, as the team stands at a 2—8 record and has lost two of their home games by wide margins to hapless teams. Now, with the most recent humiliating loss this past Sunday against the Cleveland Cavaliers, a 21-point defeat, it is time for Mills and Perry, the co-conspirators of the Knicks’ offseason decisions, to face the music. Instead of doing this, they are looking for someone to dump the blame on and protect their backs from an angry James Dolan. Their choice of scapegoat: head coach David Fizdale. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/the-fordham-ram/the-xfls-rebirth-can-vince-mcmahons-endeavor-succeed monthly 0.5 2021-08-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1628912688342-LPLTQQN93WU7QFYAEOSS/XFL+Logo.jpg The Fordham Ram - The XFL’s Rebirth: Can Vince McMahon’s Endeavor Succeed? - Despite having an opening week with ratings that rendered serious attention within the sports media market, the original XFL ceased to exist after its inaugural season. Millions of dollars were practically burnt through the endeavor, and McMahon even earned an ESPN 30-for-30 on his failure. This week, almost 20 years after the original, the XFL made its return to the professional sports stage. Reborn with many of the same structural characteristics as before, but excluding the wrestling-like entertainment features, the league looks to learn from its past mistakes and land its niche in the professional sports calendar. Other leagues, like the Alliance of American Football, have also seen their efforts to broaden the game of professional football fail, so McMahon is determined this time to make his idea work. The ultimate question to be asked as viewers tune in for the first time is: “Will the XFL work this time?” The truth is that the answer is up in the air. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/the-fordham-ram/224-what-the-world-should-remember-about-kobe-bryant monthly 0.5 2021-08-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1628910436943-8GY534GRZO8SN23X0I0W/Kobe+Bryant+Mural+Fordham+Ram.jpg The Fordham Ram - 2/24: What the World Should Remember About Kobe Bryant - February 24. This date may be just another 24-hour cycle in the 365-day trip around the sun or another block on the yearly calendar for many. However, for the sports world, it will signify so much more than that. From this point on, it will be a day of remembrance for a fearless athlete, a game-changing activist, a proud girl dad and one of nine lives tragically lost way too soon. It has been about a month since we lost Kobe Bryant, his daughter Gianna and seven others in the helicopter crash that shook the world. Even after a full turn of the page on the calendar, the impact and feelings of pain and sorrow from such a tragedy haven’t diminished one iota, and who knows if they ever will. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/the-fordham-ram/when-sports-return-after-covid19 monthly 0.5 2021-08-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1628907208939-4R9Y01WWLTA93ZVSIEN5/Fordham+Ram+Covid+Piece+Image.jpg The Fordham Ram - When Sports Return After COVID-19 - When sports return after COVID-19, it will feel like the end of the longest offseason. Many will wake up and tune into SportsCenter to get their daily dose of sports coverage. The ESPN Bottom Line will show matchup after matchup, and they will know their teams are back. Once again there will be something to watch and cheer for, and the cheers will certainly be at their loudest. The American spirit will shine as bright the lights of the arenas and stadiums that torch the skies as thousands proudly render their historical anthems. Chants of defense and carols of “Take Me Out to the Ballgame” will reverberate loudly from the opening tip to the last pitch. Names will be curtain called, rally towels will wave in every seat and the first celebrations will last a few moments longer. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/the-fordham-ram/not-the-savior-of-the-knicks-is-kevin-durant-chilling-or-dodging-the-challenge monthly 0.5 2021-08-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1628906722438-X49TAZHYFQNULQFE04G3/Brooklyn+Nets+KD.jpg The Fordham Ram - “Not the Savior of the Knicks:” Is Kevin Durant “Chilling” Or Dodging the Challenge? - For years, arguably since “The Decision” by Lebron James in 2010, the New York Knicks have been passed on by the NBA’s greatest players more times than their fans want to remember. It seems like every summer the media begins stirring up rumors about the latest max free agent to be signed by the Knicks, only to have those rumors be empty as the free agent decides to take his talents elsewhere. The usual reasoning includes ownership, a losing culture, an unreasonable media presence and a lack of other high-profile pieces on the roster. However, there is an encompassing layer to the Knicks’ inability to land a max free agent. The above reasoning is legitimate and believable, but all connect to one underlying excuse: nobody of superstar talent in the NBA is built for the challenge of playing for and elevating the Knicks. This past week, that given fact was once again reaffirmed by the latest Knick that could have been: Kevin Durant. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/the-fordham-ram/the-giants-offensive-ineptitude-created-a-monster-for-saquon-barkley monthly 0.5 2021-08-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1628905379226-U3A33DKBZ56Q21QF48H3/New+York+Giants+Saquon+Barkley.jpg The Fordham Ram - The Giants’ Offensive Ineptitude Created a Monster for Saquon Barkley - Without solving their weaknesses and despite knowing that opposing defenses had Saquon’s number, the Giants continued to push his reps and put pressure on him to be the guy within Jason Garrett’s offensive scheme. Unable to provide a block or establish gaps to run through, Barkley was hit with brick wall after brick wall against the Pittsburgh “Steel Curtain” and the dominant defensive front of Chicago. As his numbers faded into the negatives, the Giants thought eventually the breakout Saquon Barkley would return and spark the offensive flame. Instead, it has done nothing but create a monster for Saquon Barkley and their team. On Sunday, in what would ultimately be a 17-13 loss to the Chicago Bears, the running back suffered a torn ACL, along with a sprained MCL, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. The injury came early in the game when Barkley bounced off a low tackle and danced to the ground with Bears corner Eddie Jackson. Clutching at his right knee while slamming his fist, out of acknowledgement of the injury suffered and the end of his season, the Giants have witnessed the beginning of a long period of uncertainty for one of their franchise players and a darkening of the already dim roadmap for their 2020 season. Staring at an 0-2 deficit, they now frantically turn to find a substitute. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/the-fordham-ram/daniel-jones-needs-to-curtail-turnover-trend-for-giants-to-succeed monthly 0.5 2021-08-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1628904290352-CRTIWWR1TWK6QQQMJ62W/New+York+Giants+Daniel+Jones+2.jpg The Fordham Ram - Daniel Jones Needs to Curtail Turnover Trend for Giants to Succeed - As much as Giants fans like to call him “Danny Dimes,” quarterback Daniel Jones has been more like “Danny Disaster” through the first quarter of the season. While it is true that the New York Giants have had a number of problems that resulted in their pitiful performance on Sunday, it can’t be denied that Jones has his share of the blame. Despite having a good season running the ball — he leads the Giants in rushing this season — the same can’t be said of throwing the ball. Most of this comes down to Daniel Jones’ decision making, especially at key moments in close games. Ball protection has been one of his biggest issues since his entry into the league. He tends to hold onto the ball too long out in the open, and any contact leads to fumbles. Jones also tries to force his throws in bad spots on the field or through small windows, leading to a dead ball, overthrown receiver or a costly interception. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/the-fordham-ram/joe-judge-secures-first-win-as-giants-head-coach monthly 0.5 2021-08-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1628903862661-NA2T7Q1S17RGP2T143NN/New+York+Giants+Daniel+Jones+WFT.jpg The Fordham Ram - Joe Judge Secures First Win as Giants Head Coach - From the minute Joe Judge took over the head coaching reins in East Rutherford, after years of working behind two of the greats in Saban and Belichick, the Giants have consistently preached about how great a coach he is. The players love to play for him because he can rally a team in the locker room and on the practice field, yet that rallying did not occur on the football field on Sundays. Through five weeks marked by close margin losses, the Giants wanted to win a game — not just for themselves, but for their coach. On Sunday, against Ron Rivera, one of the most well-respected coaches in the league, and the Washington Football Team, Big Blue finally did that by the skin of their teeth. Behind a 49-yard keep and run by Daniel Jones and a huge fumble recovery by “Mr. Irrelevant” Tae Crowder, the New York Giants held off Washington 20-19 to secure their first win of the season. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/the-fordham-ram/nba-nbpa-agreement-on-202021-season-makes-sense monthly 0.5 2021-08-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1628903060827-IE9K9JA7HFZJ8W50YVNW/NBA+LOGO.jpg The Fordham Ram - NBA, NBPA Agreement on 2020-21 Season Makes Sense - When the confetti had finally settled from the successful conclusion of the NBA bubble in Orlando securing the latest championship for the LA Lakers, the next task facing NBA Commissioner Adam Silver and the league was figuring out how to return the basketball calendar as close to its pre-COVID-19 status as possible. The damages from an unconventional second half of the season were very apparent, and permanently throwing off the traditional calendar moving forward could mean further decline for the international sports power. They needed to reach an agreement that would hit the reset button while also considering the physical recovery and preparation time necessary for the players to adjust. The agreement was ultimately reached last week, with the National Basketball Players Association’s (NBPA) board of representatives signing off on the proposed mid-December regular season start. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/the-fordham-ram/immanuel-quickley-is-a-knicks-draft-steal-and-must-become-a-starter monthly 0.5 2021-08-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1628902788162-UIFRPPA25NMYYS37SBDW/Knicks+IQ.jpg The Fordham Ram - Immanuel Quickley is a Knicks’ Draft Steal and Must Become a Starter - While playing at the collegiate level for the University of Kentucky Wildcats, spearheaded by legendary head coach John Calipari, Immanuel Quickley received many positive remarks for his play — gamer, competitor, talented combo-guard, active floor general, solid rebounder, defensive maven and Royal Ivey with a three-point shot. These qualities were also present on his draft card upon declaring in 2020. However, the various credible NBA draft graders seemed to look the other way on Quickley’s selection to the Knicks at 25th overall, who had to move around picks to get him. Highly followed outlets like CBS Sports, Yahoo Sports and SB Nation all felt like Quickley’s selection in the late first round was premature, dishing out C and D grades for the pick. The ultimate reality is that they were completely wrong. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/the-fordham-ram/ridding-sports-of-the-national-anthem-is-ridding-tradition-and-remembrance monthly 0.5 2021-08-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1628899248335-HTTV6DZHOYZ7LHZQZ94N/Fordham+Ram+National+Anthem+Controversy+Article+Image.jpg The Fordham Ram - Ridding Sports of the National Anthem is Ridding Tradition and Remembrance - There is something special about the rendition of the national anthem inside any ballpark, arena or stadium at a professional sporting event. When Mark Cuban and the Mavericks discussed their plans for not playing the anthem, one of their goals was to see what the public response would be. The controversy has created a much heated, and of course divided, debate among politicians in Texas and sports media personalities. Along with their belief of it not representing certain social groups, some proponents have called into question the significance of the anthem at sporting events in contrast to entertainment venues and tried to suggest that most Americans are already tone-deaf to the anthem at games. Putting forth these ideas of American disengagement with the anthem, whether at a game or tuned in from their television at home, toes the line on making a bold assumption about the average American and what is meaningful to them. Nonetheless, the removal of the anthem eliminates one major instance of tradition and remembrance in American culture. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/the-fordham-ram/new-york-sports-getting-their-fan-revival-at-a-time-of-resurgence monthly 0.5 2021-08-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1628895594620-S4X7Y0GJFIK7WP4DMG8W/Madison+Square+Garden.jpg The Fordham Ram - New York Sports Getting Their Fan Revival at a Time of Resurgence - Particularly in New York, the absence of passionate sports fans has been strikingly obvious. At a Yankees or Mets game over the summer, a home run blast by Aaron Judge or Pete Alonso did not ignite the same energy in the bleachers that was commonplace as fans nearly tackled one another for the fly ball. In Madison Square Garden, celebrity row has not been flashy, and what the Knicks surely miss the most is the fuel they receive from the renowned “Defense” chants that normally rain down from the rafters. No artificial crowd noise can serve as a replacement. Having sports back in our lives in any capacity, during a challenging time where we need those distractions, is certainly valuable. However, to truly welcome sports back to the cultural sphere, the fans need to return to their rightful place in the seats. Now, amid recent updates to COVID-19 procedures in New York state and the city, they can and there is no better and exciting time in New York sports to do so. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/the-fordham-ram/the-texans-need-to-trade-deshaun-watson-before-things-get-worse-in-houston monthly 0.5 2021-08-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1628894860277-VARJMGMPJR54TRCM9BBR/Houston+Texans+Deshaun+Watson.jpg The Fordham Ram - The Texans Need to Trade Deshaun Watson Before Things Get Worse in Houston - Houston, the Texans have a big problem. And it’s only getting worse. The developments surrounding the Deshaun Watson drama in Houston keep putting more pressure on the Texans organization to find a trade partner for their disgruntled star quarterback. As the team is heading straight for a lengthy rebuild, I argue that the Texans need to do something with Watson before he gets in the way of the team coming together behind their new head coach and working towards the goal of reviving the Houston Texans and establishing a winning culture again. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/the-fordham-ram/evaluating-the-first-half-of-the-knicks-2020-21-season monthly 0.5 2021-08-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1628889286374-4271RKP9THWTXNZNGUS6/Knicks+RJ+Barrett.jpeg The Fordham Ram - Evaluating the First Half of the Knicks 2020-21 Season - If you were to tune into a New York Knicks game this season, you might notice something different about the experience. The first thing most people point to is the fact that Madison Square Garden isn’t the usual jam-packed arena that New Yorkers have grown to cherish due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the real shock will hit when one realizes the Knicks are playing a brand of basketball that not only is showing in the Eastern Conference standings, but is also bringing a level of excitement through which the chants of just 2,000 fans are reminiscent of the raucous roars of the 20,000 that make up a “sell-out crowd” at the world’s most famous arena. That same excitement might exude as you jump out of your living room chair with every big play. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/the-fordham-ram/giants-signing-kenny-golladay-could-save-their-offseason-and-boost-their-offense monthly 0.5 2021-08-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1628826075954-K1AWG07OB4MNVJPXZ8TL/New+York+Giants+Kenny+Golladay.jpg The Fordham Ram - Giants Signing Kenny Golladay Could Save Their Offseason and Boost Their Offense - Things were becoming very concerning for the New York Giants as the NFL opened the legal tampering period and consequently its new league year with free agency on March 17. As petitions came from outside the Giants to lock up unrestricted talent for at least another season or bolster their struggling offense, not a peep was heard from the team. At least the Jets were making some intriguing signings, leaving the other half of New York wondering, “Where are the Giants?” On Saturday, Big Blue finally woke from its free agency slumber to land a huge signing and cease the gnashing of teeth coming from the fanbase. Wide receiver Kenny Golladay recently signed with the Giants, providing some hope for an offense that needs it. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/the-fordham-ram/phil-jacksons-interview-is-a-distraction-from-his-failed-knicks-tenure monthly 0.5 2021-08-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1628825648842-3MS3L556O8PHCF6DH35E/New+York+Knicks+Phil+Jackson.jpg The Fordham Ram - Phil Jackson’s Interview is a Distraction from His Failed Knicks Tenure - Honesty and accountability for one’s shortcomings are vital criteria for being a professional in any industry. It appears Phil Jackson is not open to showing either when it comes to his time with the New York Knicks. Recently, Jackson was a guest on “The Curious Leader” podcast, hosted by former Lakers shooting guard Coby Karl. In the episode, Jackson examined the series of events that plagued his Knicks tenure while simultaneously casting blame on Carmelo Anthony, the harsh media and even the fanbase for his dismissal from the organization on June 28, 2017. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/the-fordham-ram/the-knicks-biggest-postseason-obstacle-will-be-finishing-games monthly 0.5 2021-08-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1628824840979-SJDOCHTNO40R1C0ALJIO/Knicks+Immanuel+Quickley.jpeg The Fordham Ram - The Knicks' Biggest Postseason Obstacle Will Be Finishing Games - There is a different New York Knicks team hanging around the Eastern Conference this season. As the NBA heads into the final weeks of the regular season, the Knicks’ goal is to win games with the prospects of making the playoffs for the first time in eight seasons. They are on track to participate by currently sitting in the eighth seed but would probably prefer to get into the top six seeds to avoid the play-in and a first-round visit with the Nets or Sixers. Learning how to close out games on the winning side is crucial if they want to accomplish either. The Knicks will have to depend on key players to make shots when it counts in order to reach the postseason and succeed in it. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/the-fordham-ram/hes-our-engine-julius-randle-deserves-most-improved-player-recognition-with-knicks monthly 0.5 2021-08-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1628824367965-UV9N5OM082XZ10LRBY7G/New+York+Knicks+Randle+Rose+RJB.jpeg The Fordham Ram - "He's Our Engine": Julius Randle Deserves "Most Improved Player" Recognition with Knicks - Called the "Team Engine" by Thibodeau, it's hard to imagine the team at the same level it is now without the contributions he's made to his own game but to the elevation of the team as well. While Randle should start making noise as a darkhorse candidate for MVP, in my article I explain why he needs to be the top candidate on the ballot for "Most Improved Player" and ultimately the voter's selection for the 2020-21 season. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/the-fordham-ram/where-the-new-york-giants-could-go-in-night-one-of-the-2021-nfl-draft monthly 0.5 2021-08-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1628816668128-RYCFC08IVBMAXCMHILDR/Giants+Dave+Gettleman+Fordham+Ram.jpg The Fordham Ram - Where the New York Giants Could Go in Night One of the 2021 NFL Draft - This year's ceremonies are set to be one of the most uncertain in recent memory given the impact of COVID-19 on collegiate athletics and pro football scouting in particular. However, one of the bigger mysteries entering night one is what the New York Giants will do with their pick at No. 11 overall. In the New York media market, the buzz hasn't slowed down nor has it maintained similar reporting on what the organization is thinking, so in my piece I break down what the insiders have been saying to offer some clarity to what could happen Thursday night. Read the full piece here https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/sportskeeda daily 0.75 2021-08-19 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1629166270954-XFX8DJTBTOWQ5RZYO508/Sportskeeda+Logo.jpg Sportskeeda - Contributing for Sportskeeda, a global sports and esports news website, was the first opportunity I came upon to gain experience on a wide-reaching platform and get a taste in sports writing. In the spring of my sophomore year at Fordham, I was recruited by Sportskeeda to contribute content to their NFL and NBA sections, thus I wrote a couple articles each week, offering up my analytical two cents on the latest stories happening in those two professional leagues. I mostly covered the New York teams due to my interest and knowledge, but a few of my pieces stepped outside of the Big Apple. Overtime, my published articles began accumulating more reads, letting me know that I was reaching a larger audience and making good strides with my writing. At the end of my one year stint, my page had earned over 5,000 reads, earning me a “Top Contributor” recognition from Sportskeeda. I was grateful for the opportunity presented to me by Sportskeeda to practice my new interest, see results, and get my name and work published on a global platform. Check out my Sportskeeda page here or below to see all the articles I produced. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/sportskeeda/sell-the-team-is-it-time-for-new-york-knicks-owner-james-dolan-to-hang-it-up monthly 0.5 2021-08-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1629298215706-YF36ATYS3TA77UR8P0IV/James+Dolan+Knicks+Sportskeeda.jpg Sportskeeda - "Sell the Team": Is it time for New York Knicks owner James Dolan to hang it up? - The Knicks have been one of the NBA’s biggest laughing stocks in recent years, and we saw another reason why this past weekend. Amid the excitement over this summer’s possible free agent signings, the team and their fan base now must worry about the off-court drama scaring away potential stars. Following Saturday’s loss to the Sacramento Kings, a TMZ Sports video was released showing Knicks owner James Dolan threatening to ban a fan from MSG after a fan yelled “sell the team”. Dolan told the fan that what he said wasn’t an opinion, and asked him to “enjoy watching them [the Knicks] on TV”. This past Saturday’s altercation adds to a long list of events that have shown Dolan’s failures as the Knicks owner over the past 20 years, and how they have turned the franchise’s fan base against him. Through his tenure with the organization, Dolan has gotten into several altercations for petty reasons with fans and ex-players like Knicks legend Charles Oakley. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/sportskeeda/nfl-how-dave-gettlemans-guidance-is-dragging-the-giants-in-the-wrong-direction monthly 0.5 2021-08-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1629297629120-TFNMWT59Q2X7U3BXPRGA/Dave+Gettleman+Sportskeeda.jpg Sportskeeda - NFL: How Dave Gettleman's Guidance is Dragging the Giants in the Wrong Direction - Just when the New York sports fan, especially of the Giants, thought it couldn’t get any worse, it did. Shortly after deciding not to tag star safety and team captain Landon Collins, allowing him to walk away and sign a big contract with the Redskins, Giants GM Dave Gettleman has made yet another move that is both unbelievable and surely leaving Giants fans everywhere disgusted, if not also questioning his sanity. Per Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Giants have agreed to a deal to send star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for safety Jabrill Peppers, the 17th overall pick in the 2019 draft, and one of the Browns’ third round selections. The trade comes nearly months after the Giants gave Beckham a new contract worth $95 million, $65 million of which was guaranteed, weeks after Gettleman told reporters at the NFL Combine that the Giants “didn’t sign Odell to trade him”, and days after the team sent defensive end Olivier Vernon to Cleveland. Now, with free agency fully commenced and the Giants barely making a splash to fix the real problems within their roster, those in the Giants’ fanbase and the media are left to question whether Gettleman is the man to bring the Giants back to prominence. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/sportskeeda/2019-nfl-free-agency-frenzy-winners-and-losers-through-the-first-phase monthly 0.5 2021-08-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1629257661116-Y9YP5PDOXTO2SL7OFGU9/NFL+Football.jpg Sportskeeda - 2019 NFL Free Agency Frenzy: Winners and Losers Through the First Phase - As the NFL began its new league year on March 13th, they capped off the previous year with a bang in the past 48 to 72 hours - thanks to one of the most insane free agency periods in recent memory. Deals large and small were almost hourly, including a few that created new places of residence for some of football’s biggest names like Odell Beckham Jr, Antonio Brown and Le'Veon Bell. Throughout the first phase of the 2019 free agency period, the power ranking tides have changed their courses, leaving teams and fans alike with either cause for joy or concern for their franchise’s direction. With most of the deals now official, here's a break down of the winners and losers from “Phase 1” of the 2019 NFL free agency period. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/sportskeeda/did-they-strike-golden-will-golden-tate-help-the-giants-fill-the-postobj-void monthly 0.5 2021-08-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1629257327967-89HZPMLVP46XNQDOJDGG/Golden+Tate+Eagles+Sportskeeda.jpg Sportskeeda - Did They Strike Gold(en)?: Will Golden Tate help the Giants fill the post-OBJ void? - Following the New York Giants surprising trade of Odell Beckham to the Cleveland Browns, one of the big questions people were asking was who will Eli Manning have to throw to and who will be a reliable source of offensive production outside of running back Saquon Barkley? Beckham was one of Manning’s biggest pass threats, and with his departure, it’s hard to see anyone else making the plays he did that completely smashed numerous NFL records and earned the respect of the opposing defense. Current receivers like Sterling Shepard and Cody Latimer have some potential, as was seen this past season, but the Giants need that one guy who can fill the No. 1 role. With one of the team’s most recent moves, it’s possible that they may have found that guy. This past Thursday, the Giants and wide receiver Golden Tate agreed to a deal bringing the former Seattle draft pick to New York for four years and $37.5 million with $23 million guaranteed, per a source close to ESPN. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/sportskeeda/here-comes-the-madness-who-makes-it-to-the-final-four-in-minneapolis monthly 0.5 2021-08-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1629255647274-HBARBLE2WFV4906NVODL/March+Madness+Logo+Sportskeeda.jpg Sportskeeda - Here Comes the Madness: Who makes it to the Final Four in Minneapolis - The calendar has hit the middle of March and sports fans know what that means. It’s that time of year where people are glued to their televisions or some streaming service while at work, school, or on the road. Brackets are forming and busting, hearts are racing, and a chance for one of two spots in the national championship is up for grabs. Yes, it’s March Madness time! March Madness didn’t acquire its name for no reason. It’s a long and intense road to the national championship and nobody is to be overlooked, even a 16 seed as the University of Virginia found out last year. Sixty-four teams make the tournament, but only four can make it to Minneapolis to compete for rights to the national champion honor. As the games are underway and the bracket watch is in full force, here are some teams that you can feel confident in, if you selected them, to make a run at the Final Four in a few weeks. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/sportskeeda/opinion-giants-fans-should-be-concerned-about-obj-trade-following-john-maras-comments monthly 0.5 2021-08-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1629255205059-UI8EWO5V1U9KJ7AF4FPP/OBJ+New+York+Giants+2.jpg Sportskeeda - Opinion: Giants fans should be concerned about OBJ trade following John Mara's comments - It’s been about two weeks since the New York Giants' blockbuster trade of Odell Beckham Jr. to the Cleveland Browns, and the subject is still a hot button topic in the New York media. Many Giants fans are still distraught over the deal and continue to voice their opinions regarding the team and its management. All the local media outlets continue to discuss the impacts of the transaction while asking other questions that provoke new discussion on the directions of the Giants organization. Amidst all the debate and hysteria, a few members of the Giants brass finally decided to come out and speak about the trade. One of those members was New York Giants co-owner John Mara. Following the public statements made by general manager Dave Gettleman regarding the trade, in which he insisted the deal was “purely about football” and not about any behavioral antics, Mara got in front of a microphone and gave his thoughts about the whole situation. Standing in front of members of the media at the 2019 NFL Owners Meeting in Phoenix, Arizona, he gave a message of reluctance and uneasiness which should make all Giants fans a little concerned. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/sportskeeda/nba-201819-a-look-at-dwyane-wades-legacy-as-the-farewell-tour-concludes monthly 0.5 2021-08-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1629254866106-74BBEOFUBMJV5LOG6NAM/Dwayne+Wade+Miami+Heat.jpg Sportskeeda - NBA 2018/19: A look at Dwyane Wade's Legacy as the Farewell Tour Concludes - As the 2019 NBA schedule rolls into April, we come to not only the end of another exciting and awe-inspiring season but to the end of a historic and memorable career as well. After Kobe Bryant did it a few years earlier, following this last stretch of games, and possibly one final playoff run, Miami Heat shooting guard Dwyane Wade will hang up the sneakers and say goodbye to the game he’s played all his life and to which he has left a lasting impact. The final stops in the farewell tour are upon us, jerseys are being exchanged, and Wade will give it his all one last time for both the game and the fans. However, like Kobe, before he rides off into the sunset and enters the NBA, it’s only fitting that we all look back on and commemorate what has been an extraordinary and impactful career Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/sportskeeda/nba-dirk-nowitzki-rides-off-from-dallas-after-21-seasons monthly 0.5 2021-08-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1629254574292-HQ3VPECPFUMQJ2WHLGHT/Dirk+Dallas+Mavericks.jpg Sportskeeda - NBA: Dirk Nowitzki rides off from Dallas after 21 seasons - The conclusion to the 2018-2019 NBA season has not only brought the fans competitive basketball and interesting playoff seeding scenarios, but farewells to some of the most incredible NBA careers in the last two decades. Millions have been tuning in to see the 'farewell tours' of guys like Dwyane Wade and Channing Frye, not actually realizing that they’ve been doing the same unconsciously for another NBA star. Almost immediately after Wade played his final home game at American Airlines Arena, 21-year veteran and career long Dallas Maverick Dirk Nowitzki announced that he will retire from the NBA following the team’s 120-109 win over the Phoenix Suns. The decision comes after many NBA fans spent the entire year wondering if Nowitzki would hang it up after this season, as he wasn’t very committal either way whenever he was asked. Nevertheless, the reaction from the Dallas crowd was that of disbelief but filled with grateful uproar and applause. For all that Nowitzki has accomplished with the Mavericks in his 21 seasons, the response was well merited. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/sportskeeda/nba-playoffs-2019-predictions-as-round-1-commences monthly 0.5 2021-08-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1629254300945-QH24G5TZZMWX7KPSGBG5/Warriors+Rockets+Sportskeeda.jpg Sportskeeda - NBA Playoffs 2019: Predictions as Round 1 Commences - The entire 82-game NBA season has once again come and gone, and this time within the blink of an eye. It started in late October with 30 teams all wide eyed and optimistic for the new season, but now in early April what is left are 16 teams, some being surprises, a dethroned King James, two newly retired legends, and the remaining teams wondering what went wrong this year. However, every NBA fan knows that the action doesn’t truly end until late June. It’s that time when the 16 teams left battle it out to show why they belong here and to try to achieve the ultimate title of NBA champions. Crazy shots will fall, difficult calls will be made, 3-1 comebacks will be made, and somebody will make history. Yes, it’s time for the NBA Playoffs. As the first round begins Saturday, these are the matchups and what to watch out for. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/sportskeeda/with-wilson-recommitted-to-seattle-the-pressure-is-heavier-on-the-giants-to-find-eli-mannings-succ monthly 0.5 2021-08-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1629253441074-ZTQKGGG3X84739ENJCK7/Eli+Manning+Russell+Wilson+Sportskeeda.jpg Sportskeeda - With Wilson recommitted to Seattle, the pressure is heavier on the Giants to find Eli Manning’s succ - In a time in the franchise’s history where their beloved 2-time Super Bowl winning quarterback is battling father time, the pressure is on the Giants’ shoulders to go out and find Eli Manning’s future replacement. Last year’s draft saw them pass up on guys like current Jets quarterback Sam Darnold to select phenom running back Saquon Barkley, a decision that despite his play will be a subject of debate for years to come. Recently, there’s been talks that Seattle Seahawks quarterback Russell Wilson, awaiting a contract extension from the team, has had interest in playing for New York and could come there if Seattle didn’t offer him a new contract. This all comes after the seventh-year, highly mobile quarterback finished 2018 with almost 3,500 passing yards and a passer rating of 110.9, per Yahoo Sports. However, the Seahawks at the eleventh hour responded to Wilson’s deadline demands. Now, with the hopes for Wilson out the window and Eli Manning heading into the final season of his contract with no guarantee of a resigning, the pressure on the Giants to draft a quarterback in this year’s draft has just gotten heavier. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/sportskeeda/opinion-odell-beckham-jr-is-justified-in-responding-to-perception-of-him-being-locker-room-cancer monthly 0.5 2021-08-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1629253061632-2HZ41K76AYJGV61EPJ0Q/OBJ+New+York+Giants.jpg Sportskeeda - Opinion: Odell Beckham Jr. is justified in responding to perception of him being "locker room cancer - If the New York Giants organization thought that they were done hearing about the team in relation to Odell Beckham Jr after the blockbuster trade to Cleveland hysteria died down, they were dead wrong. A month after being traded to the Browns, Beckham, who tends to keep his feelings and emotions discrete except when on the field, decided to let it all out on Twitter Monday night. In a series of tweets that went viral fast, Beckham responded to fans’, or better yet opponents’, questions regarding various issues between him and the Giants while firing back at the perception that he was a “cancer” in the Giants locker room. Nothing was held back in the over 40 tweets put up by the fifth-year receiver out of LSU, as subjects ranged from Giants GM Dave Gettleman’s recent comments in a press conference about a past “culture problem” in the team and his dishonesty prior to the trade to disagreements with head coach Pat Shurmur. Now, as some in the sports media world have said, Odell Beckham could have done this in fewer tweets and with less attention to the trolls, however this doesn’t eliminate the fact that he is justified in having this rant and giving everyone his side of the story. Some will say that the rant just adds to the opinion that he is a locker room cancer, but that is very much not the case. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/sportskeeda/2019-nfl-draft-results-giants-place-trust-in-daniel-jones-snag-dexter-lawrence-and-deandre-baker-i monthly 0.5 2021-08-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1629252609203-Z50LC3L1TG08Y4I6S3F3/Daniel+Jones+Draft+Day.jpg Sportskeeda - 2019 NFL Draft Results: Giants place trust in Daniel Jones; snag Dexter Lawrence and Deandre Baker i - Coming into the 2019 NFL Draft in Nashville, the New York Giants, despite what their goals or aspirations were for their picks, had priorities for how they should attack the NFL Draft and the pressure to fill those priorities. With the first round in the books, they were able to meet their defensive priorities, but the pick they made at No. 6 will be a source of debate as much as the Saquon Barkley pick the year prior. With the 6th pick, Dave Gettleman and the Giants selected QB Daniel Jones out of Duke University. Jones, a senior Blue Devil, impressed the Giants scouts and general manager from the moment they met him at the Senior Bowl. They like his mobility within the pocket and ability to run with the football if needed which showed in his 4.80 40-time at the combine. With the 17th pick, the Giants selected defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence from the national champion Clemson University. Lawrence came into the draft weighing around 340 pounds and the way he plays is already getting comparisons to Damon “Snacks” Harrison. Late in the first round, the Giants made a surprising trade with the Seattle Seahawks to move up into the first round again to select one of the highest ranked cornerbacks in college football. In exchange for the 37th, 132nd and 142nd picks, the Giants got the 30th pick and selected Georgia defensive back Deandre Baker. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/sportskeeda/the-implications-of-carmelo-anthonys-possible-new-york-knicks-return monthly 0.5 2021-08-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1629252108911-DIBH2FKLV47X0RVXQTQS/Carmelo+Anthony+OKC+Thunder+2.jpg Sportskeeda - The implications of Carmelo Anthony's possible New York Knicks return - New York Knicks fans certainly have a lot to look forward to in the coming summer months. In less than two weeks, the NBA Draft Lottery will reveal the top 14 slots for the 2019 NBA Draft, and we will find out what the Knicks’ chances are at landing Zion Williamson. Additionally, the rumors have been flying everywhere as New York Knicks boasts one of the highest cap space totals and has a great opportunity to land at least one quality star player in free agency. Now, however, there has been surprising news regarding a familiar and beloved face that could bring Knicks fans even more excitement for what is to come. In a recent interview with SNY’s Adam Zagoria, which was also covered by outlets such as Complex Sports and CBS Sports, former Knicks small forward Carmelo Anthony talked about the possibility of returning to Madison Square Garden this summer. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/sportskeeda/nba-playoffs-2019-conference-finals-predictions monthly 0.5 2021-08-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1629251808484-YZGLQDRR59BGWK9SEBT1/Bucks%27+Giannis+NBA+CF%27s+Sportskeeda.jpg Sportskeeda - NBA Playoffs 2019: Conference Finals Predictions - The 2019 NBA Playoffs are on to the third round, the Conference Finals. After several tight six or seven game series and the emotional plight of a Boston Celtics’ team surrounded by many unanswered questions, we are now down to the final four teams who will battle it out for a spot in the NBA Finals. Some of the teams have deep rosters poised for a championship while others are dealing with injury woes at the worst possible time. But, the matchups are still primed to be exciting and competitive. Two number one seeds will look to defend their supremacy atop their respective conferences with one of them looking to defend their championship title against two teams who are hungry to change the narrative in the NBA. Here are the matchups and things to watch out for: Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/sportskeeda/opinion-knicks-should-run-with-rj-barrett-postlottery-and-avoid-playing-games monthly 0.5 2021-08-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1629251430843-9OMMZWXGZWEQL6VEBP3J/RJ+Barrett+Duke.jpg Sportskeeda - Opinion: Knicks should run with RJ Barrett post-lottery and avoid playing games - The ping pong balls took a wild spin at the 2019 NBA Draft Lottery Tuesday night, causing part one of the Knicks fans’ frenetic summer journey to go awry. After the Lakers, Grizzlies, and Pelicans shockingly moved up to the top four, the New York Knicks were awarded the #3 overall pick in this year’s NBA Draft. While third overall is much better than how the Cavaliers and Suns fared out, nothing can hide the reality that this drop in the lottery, barring a miracle, means no Zion Williamson in the Big Apple. All signs and rationale point to Duke’s RJ Barrett being selected at #3 and despite already circulating takes regarding the pick, this is the path they should take. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/sportskeeda/landon-collins-critical-interview-shows-new-york-giants-at-another-crossroad monthly 0.5 2021-08-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1629248716344-REZ7YEZ8T2C46V448786/Landon+Collins+Washington.jpg Sportskeeda - Landon Collins’ Critical Interview shows New York Giants at Another Crossroad - As some veteran players return to begin preparing for a new season along with rookies, such as Daniel Jones, who will have the media spotlight all over them, the Giants hope to find some fruits to their offseason decisions. However, before they can do this, they must first deal with another issue, stemming from a former player’s recent comments, which has now brought them to another crossroads. Coming out of the University of Alabama, Landon Collins was one of the most productive and hard nose defensive football players for New York over the last few seasons. The recent decision by team management to not place the franchise tag on Collins until a new contract could be reached astounded Giants fans and raised abundant criticism. Now, a couple months after his departure from the team, Landon Collins decided to voice his take on the reasoning for the slew of offseason moves the Giants made, including the one involving him. What he said revealed something striking about the current state of affairs within the Giants organization. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/sportskeeda/race-to-revamp-why-the-new-york-knicks-are-in-a-much-better-position-compared-to-the-los-angeles-la monthly 0.5 2021-08-18 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1629248061831-9WN9C6XSOVYWFX1JVZSQ/Knicks+David+Fizdale+Front+Office.jpg Sportskeeda - Race to revamp: Why the New York Knicks are in a much better position compared to the Los Angeles La - Throughout most of their history since their founding, the New York Knicks and Los Angeles Lakers have had a share in this prestigious club as two of the NBA’s primordial teams and have displayed these characteristics. Recently, however, the tides have turned against them and the two teams have become epicenters of losing and media criticism making them the NBA’s laughing stocks. Neither has made a playoff appearance nor achieved a winning record since 2013. Their leadership has been mediocre, unprofessional, and unable to make the moves that will positively impact the team. Coaches have come and gone, and any trace of talent has either been foolishly traded, waived or has retired leaving youth filled rosters trapped in a constant rebuild. As a result of their youth, poor managerial decisions, and media criticism, both teams have been deflectors instead of attractors of star players looking to win in a big market, despite Los Angeles drawing in one of the game’s best in LeBron James. For the two teams’ fanbases, the dark cloud standing over MSG and the Staples Center looks like it’s not going away anytime soon. However, that reality could soon change and the fruits of several seasons of tanking may finally show as several of the league’s powerhouses look for possible new homes. Unfortunately for the Los Angeles Lakers, however, is that the odds of that happening are looking brighter for the New York Knicks. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/sportskeeda/nba-free-agency-brooklyn-nets-might-be-occupying-the-drivers-seat-in-the-kyrie-irving-sweepstakes monthly 0.5 2021-08-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1629244454280-FC8WACY79YYXRPRBYR7C/Boston+Celtics+Kyrie+Irving.jpg Sportskeeda - NBA Free Agency: Brooklyn Nets’ might be occupying the driver’s seat in the Kyrie Irving sweepstakes - The 2019 NBA free agency period does not begin until July 1st, and according to league rules, the teams and players cannot begin any negotiations until June 30th. For the time being, however, teams could prepare for it through trades that clear cap space, along with other moves involving non free agent players. On Thursday, the Brooklyn Nets did just that with a move that could solidify recent rumors and thus foreshadow what is to come in a few weeks. Recently, the Nets have been the subject of reports involving Boston Celtics guard Kyrie Irving whose status in terms of where he is playing next season is still unknown. According to these reports - most notably brought about by ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith - between them and the New York Knicks, Irving has a stronger interest in Brooklyn and prefers to sign there if he leaves Boston come July. Shortly after the reports came out, the Brooklyn Nets decided to do some spring cleaning with their cap space and a call was sent out to the Atlanta Hawks. Upon an agreement, which was first reported by ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, the team sent shooting guard Allen Crabbe, their 2019 first round pick, and a protected 2020 first round pick to the Hawks in exchange for forward Taurean Prince and a 2021 second round pick. The deal will be finalized on July 6th. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/sportskeeda/nba-draft-2019-picking-rj-barrett-key-for-knicks-after-kevin-durants-achilles-injury monthly 0.5 2021-08-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1629243725054-7L143RSTTGYEDIPR1A24/GSW+Durant.jpg Sportskeeda - NBA Draft 2019: Picking RJ Barrett key for Knicks after Kevin Durant's Achilles injury - “There’s a black cat running around this organization.” This phrase was first used by ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith to describe the Dallas Cowboys, an organization filled with seasonal drama and turmoil and of which Smith has been highly critical. The black cat, while it brings both signs of luck and superstitions, symbolizes for the instances in which it was used a bad omen that is surrounding the franchise. Now, as the summer months are upon us and the NBA free agency period creeps closer, the black cat has a relative and it has made its home within the building of another professional sports organization. The quote, whose words were uttered once again by Smith in a recent airing of “First Take”, is now applicable to the New York Knicks. There is a black cat running around the Knicks organization. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/sportskeeda/nba-draft-2019-highlights-and-analyses-20-best-picks-from-the-class-of-2019 monthly 0.5 2021-08-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1629243063637-8YDW5FH1QG24GIB56PVU/NBA+Draft+2019.jpg Sportskeeda - NBA Draft 2019 Highlights and Analyses: 20 Best picks from the class of 2019 - In the NBA, the new league year officially starts with free agency. However, for some, it is the leadup to that period of insanity that really sets the stage for what is to come. The 2019-20 NBA season kicked off on June 20th, 2019 at the NBA Draft. Following months of constant speculation, talks, and debate, all the hypotheticals go out the window as the 30 NBA teams have made their decisions as to who will be joining their roster in October. Some made long prognosticated picks, others made surprising trades to move up or down and take guys they thought would impact their roster at a position need. Overall, with the excitement and the player’s stories, it was a life-changing, team changing, and even free agency power shifting draft. Here were some of the highlight picks of the 2019 NBA Draft Thursday night at the Barclays Center. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/sportskeeda/dropped-the-ball-how-the-new-york-knicks-brass-is-to-blame-for-disastrous-free-agency-as-brooklyn-celebrates monthly 0.5 2021-08-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1629238952349-1QEKJHEUHPWHQ08JAE17/New+York+Knicks+Front+Office+Sportskeeda.jpg Sportskeeda - Dropped the ball: How the New York Knicks’ brass is to blame for disastrous free agency as Brooklyn - The New York Knicks are the perfect representation of Murphy’s Law: “What can go wrong, will go wrong.” This has been apparent within their organization over the past several years. Star players changed heart and walked out, terrible draft picks and trades have continued to set the team back, and poor management has led to missed opportunities in free agency. Even current star players like Steph Curry were missed on thanks to draft lottery placements. However, just mere days ago during the most pivotal time in the Knicks’ offseason, if not the most pivotal offseason in their recent history, the truth of Murphy’s Law in relation to the Knicks reached its culmination. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/sportskeeda/la-eclipse-have-the-clippers-surpassed-the-lakers-as-the-basketball-power-in-los-angeles monthly 0.5 2021-08-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1629237425681-P45YWG7P8U6SPR75YNHT/LA+Clippers+Sportskeeda+Article.jpg Sportskeeda - LA Eclipse: Have the Clippers surpassed the Lakers as the basketball power in Los Angeles? - Since the beginning of the NBA, when it comes to basketball in Los Angeles, the conversation and attention has always been centered around the Lakers. For their Staples Center co-tenants, the Los Angeles Clippers, their history since the league expansion of 1970 which birthed them has been filled with nothing but little boy treatment and the “other LA team” status. They did not have the privilege of a plethora of household name players to attract the up and coming generations of fans and make a splash in the Western Conference. Despite having an excellent, storied head coach and one of the best ownership groups in the NBA, there is yet to be a Clippers title banner hanging from the rafters. While looking like they have promise, it just always seems like there is one missing link that keeps the Clippers from reaching the top. The basketball following in Los Angeles has mostly shown love for the Lakers, regardless of what the records say. However, with the events of the last few months, and weeks especially, it looks like that could all be changing. The question of whether the LA Clippers are about to become the city’s basketball power has now come up, and all signs point to the answer being yes. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/sportskeeda/nfl-2019-20-cleveland-browns-are-enjoying-the-offseason-hype-but-they-must-control-it-to-fulfill-it monthly 0.5 2021-08-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1629236261493-E8H5NW65G1NVDRQSF7T9/Cleveland+Browns+OBJ+Trade.jpg Sportskeeda - NFL 2019-20: Cleveland Browns are enjoying the offseason hype but they must control it to fulfill it - As the NFL is getting set for its 100th season and all 32 teams are gearing up for week 1 through training camps, the buzz continues regarding which teams had the best offseasons and what to expect from them. Mostly due to their acquisition of one generational star, the Cleveland Browns have been the hot topic team. If getting a taste of it this past season wasn’t enough, there is now a true sense of winning within the Browns organization heading into September. The Cleveland Browns are strutting into the 2019-2020 season with new coaching, a power shifting roster, and an overall new public image. For the first time since Lebron James’ homecoming, there is pride, hope, and belief in “Believeland”. Many are racing to the gates of First Energy Stadium to join the forces of the “Dawg Pound”, and the media are following right behind them. With some going to the extremes of labeling the Cleveland Browns title contenders, they are certainly poised to be a team that everyone follows closely throughout the season. When asked about all the hype he and his new teammates have been bringing to the team, quarterback Baker Mayfield exclaimed that it doesn’t scare him. He also added that the hype might feel strange to some players because for them, “it’s been pretty terrible to be part of this team for a while”. (ESPN) Mayfield may not be too concerned about the newfound noise his team is creating, however, the Browns, although also enjoying the limelight, must not let it become an obstacle to their goals of reawakening the Browns’ success of old. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/sportskeeda/carmelo-anthony-should-make-it-onto-another-nba-roster-before-his-basketball-career-is-finished monthly 0.5 2021-08-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1629231654763-DITA3KDQ94WG76569N9N/Carmelo+Anthony+OKC+Thunder.jpg Sportskeeda - Carmelo Anthony should make it onto another NBA roster before his basketball career is finished - For most of the time spanning the years 2011-2017, Carmelo Anthony was a beloved hero in the Mecca of Basketball in Manhattan. However, since September of 2017, that has all changed, and the Carmelo Anthony narrative took a complete 180-degree turn. Following months of disagreements with team ownership and pulling all the unfair blame for the Knicks’ continuous failures, Anthony was traded to the Oklahoma City Thunder. There his playing career hit a landslide, as he had to share the spotlight with two other stars in Russell Westbrook and Paul George and eventually accept a lesser role than before. This trend was only heightened with the Houston Rockets and, along with seldom injury problems, led to a short10-game partnership. Now, Carmelo Anthony has seen his professional career come to a halt, his personal stats go down, and the perception of his athleticism and basketball ability grow negative. Besides some little murmurs regarding a couple teams, not one is expressing legitimate interest in signing him, even the league’s best teams who are looking to write the next chapter of the super team. One sports reporter recently viewed Anthony as a washed-up star incapable of winning a championship at this stage in his career and undeserving of a ceremonious farewell tour. Many are expecting the fat lady to sing on Melo’s NBA career; however, this should not be the case. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/sportskeeda/nfl-100-expectations-for-the-league-s-centennial-season monthly 0.5 2021-08-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1629231285764-WYWVI61B217ON33TPTO0/NFL+100+Logo.jpg Sportskeeda - NFL 100: Expectations for the league's centennial season - Starting this week, the National Football League kicks off another exciting season showcasing 32 teams battling it out to earn one of two spots in Super Bowl LIV in Miami. However, this season carries a little more importance than the average season. This season is the NFL’s 100th season. Yes, you read that correctly. Together the football world is celebrating 100 years of kickoffs and kneel-downs, flashy runs and unbelievable catches, players destined for greatness right from the draft and others rising from the bottom, and dynasties continuing or underdogs shocking the world under showers of confetti. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/sportskeeda/steelers-browns-brawl-is-about-myles-garrett-and-avoiding-violence-in-the-nfl monthly 0.5 2021-08-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1629204697192-DZMJJZZO3WB4AQK6W8IJ/Steelers+Browns+Sportskeeda.jpg Sportskeeda - Steelers-Browns brawl is about Myles Garrett and avoiding violence in the NFL - Last Thursday night in Cleveland, Ohio, millions of football fans nationwide witnessed one of the most stunning and horrific endings to a football game in the history of the sport and the NFL. In the days since the primetime incident, especially on Friday, there has been criticism from some inside and outside of the sports world regarding Mason Rudolph’s involvement in the incident and his deserving of a suspension from initiating it. There seems to be a lack of understanding as to why Rudolph did not receive a punishment for his actions in the scuffle when even his teammate, Maurkice Pouncey, did with a three-game suspension. For anyone who is erring on the side of those questioning the inequality of the NFL’s reprimanding, thought must be given to the focus of the league in responding to this incident and handing out specific suspensions. That focus is to take necessary action to keep acts of violence out of the game, and that violence came from Myles Garrett in this instance. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/talking-points-sports daily 0.75 2021-09-02 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1630501479127-85NKNDMG718NDS23UYEF/Talking+Points+Sports+Logo.jpg Talking Points Sports - Joining Talking Points Sports has become the newest endeavor to my career journey in sports media. Started by a communications and media professional with experience in the field and comprised of other young individuals who aspire to get their foot into the industry, the platform serves writers the opportunity to contribute work to their portfolio, receive guidance in improving their personal brand, and support the advancing of their career goals through making or utilizing shared or compiled connections to people within the platform or outside in the industry. The founder and lead editor, Thomas Darro, directs the publication of content to the website, and his motivation is to give writers a platform to have their voices heard and provide them with a better chance of accomplishing their career aspirations. I officially joined Talking Points Sports in September 2021, where I will be assisting in coverage for the New York Giants but also sharing my voice in other matters concerning the NFL and professional basketball as well. My hope is to further improve my writing through this partnership and to make even more connections that may lead to an even bigger next step in my career progression. Please view all of my top work for TPS below https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/talking-points-sports/exdolphins-brian-flores-suing-nfl-giants-other-teams-for-racial-hiring-practices monthly 0.5 2022-03-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1646616844939-3KVC789980MF0N44LMV8/TPS+Brian+Flores+NFL+Lawsuit+Story.jpeg Talking Points Sports - Ex-Dolphins’ Brian Flores Suing NFL, Giants, Other Teams for Racial Hiring Practices - “Ex-Dolphins head coach Brian Flores sued the NFL and three of its franchises Tuesday afternoon, alleging racial hiring practices that have discriminated against black candidates, including himself, and prevented them from attaining head coaching, coordinator, position coach and even general manager positions, according to ESPN. The lawsuit–seeking class-action status and implicating the Dolphins, Giants, Broncos, and unspecified individuals–described the NFL’s hiring practices as leaving the league “racially segregated and managed much like a plantation” and demanded several forms of “injunctive relief” aimed at “effectuating real change for the future”. An issue that many in the NFL community and sports world feel has gone improperly addressed for many years, Flores is now willing to risk his coaching career and future to fight for change against inequality in the league. Flores also charged the NFL for undervaluing their largely African-American player, coach, and staffing base while the prestigious group of owners–all of them white–benefited financially from the dangerous work of their labor. … His carousel of complaints didn’t stop with the league nor the Dolphins, Flores had significant charges laid down on the New York Giants organization as well. The 40-year-old alleged the Giants interviewed him–in what he called a “sham” meeting–for their head coaching vacancy only to cover their behinds from violating the NFL’s Rooney Rule, a policy established by the league in 2003 that requires teams to consider and interview at least one minority candidate for head coaching and senior front office personnel roles.” On February 1, former Dolphins head coach Brian Flores opened up a bombshell lawsuit against the NFL alleging a handful of their franchises engaged in racial hiring practices. He was the latest minority coach to make such complaints against the NFL, but one of the few willing to come forward with legitimate evidence supporting his case that the league and teams’ actions have impacted his and others’ abilities to land coaching and coordinator roles. In my reporting for Talking Points Sports, I covered all the allegations but centered in on the New York Giants and their ties to the case. A story that is far from over just yet, this piece was one of my most-comprehensive news stories in my writing career. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/talking-points-sports/giants-hire-bills-oc-brian-daboll-as-next-head-coach monthly 0.5 2022-03-07 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1646616378839-QAU041VX7PQCHP3Y4FB6/Brian+Daboll+TPS.jpeg Talking Points Sports - Giants Hire Bills OC Brian Daboll as Next Head Coach - “Following the conclusion of their abysmal 4-13 season, which marked their fifth consecutive double digit losing year, the Giants decided to completely clean house and press the restart button once again in their never ending quest to return to NFL prominence. Former general manager Dave Gettleman gave his retirement notice to the team at age 70 and after a four year stint that saw him finish with a 19-46 record and nothing to show for it but a depleted offensive line. Two losing seasons and a lot of phony press conference speeches later, Joe Judge–the culture guy–was relieved of his duties as Giants head coach, the third to be let go in a span of six years. Likely having watched the success of their cross-state neighbors unfold for the past few seasons, the Giants knew they wanted their own pieces of Bills’ glory in their buildings to rebuild the team for next season and beyond. That said, the team went out on their general manager search first and landed Bills’ assistant GM Joe Schoen to lead their front office. A few days later, they’ve now recruited one of Schoen’s partners from Orchard Park to pair up in the effort to revive the Giants in 2022. On Friday, the Giants hired Buffalo Bills offensive coordinator Brian Daboll to become their next head coach, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter and the team’s announcement. “My immediate goal is to assemble a coaching staff — a strong staff that emphasizes teaching and collaboration and making sure our players are put in the position to be their best and, ultimately, to win games,” Daboll said in a release. “That’s why all of us do this. To teach, to be successful, to develop talent, and to win. “I have a pretty good idea where our fan base’s feelings are right now, and I get it. I promise we will work our tails off to put a team on the field that you will be proud to support and give us the results we all want.” Breaking the news of Bills’ offensive coordinator Brian Daboll being hired as the New York Giants head coach for Talking Points Sports. Daboll’s background, influence on Josh Allen and the Bills’ offense, and what he will bring to the team. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/talking-points-sports/divisional-round-sunday-an-nfl-playoff-weekend-for-the-ages monthly 0.5 2022-03-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1646605285004-YLQH90YCMOTKNUDKTQ08/TPS+NFL+Divisional+Playoffs+2021.jpeg Talking Points Sports - Divisional Round Sunday: An NFL Playoff Weekend For the Ages - The discussion is one that tends to show up at least a handful of times throughout the NFL season. Yet, never has anyone seen the question arise multiple times in the same weekend–”Was that the game of the year?”. On Sunday, football fans everywhere were left to ponder that thought twice in the same day. The National Football League kicked off its second weekend of playoff football Saturday afternoon with the Divisional Round and it did not disappoint for one second. After having a few blowouts games occur, largely between top seeds and bottomfeeder teams that just snuck into the playoff picture, all four contests of the second round were absolute nail biters that came down to the bitter end and were decided on last second field goals or overtime scores. One of the games featured another unreal comeback from 24-down and another saw 25 points scored in two minutes, a chance to tie in 13 seconds, and unbelievable heartache for the losing franchise left deprived once again of championship football. Of course, flowers will be handed out to the Cincinnati Bengals and San Francisco 49ers for their victories on Saturday. In their second season with head coach Zac Taylor and quarterback Joe Burrow, the young Bengals weathered the storm of two touchdowns by Tennessee’s Derrick Henry and AJ Brown by trusting the leg of rookie kicker Evan McPherson, who hit five total field goals and whose last sent the AFC 1-seed home and Cincinnati to their first conference championship game since 1988. …. However, what will remain the unforgettable games from a historic weekend in the NFL came on the second day. The Sunday docket featured two blockbuster matchups between four teams with high-powered offenses and stockpiled defenses that were bound to be decided by which team could outduel the other. Basically, that’s what it took to ultimately get our advancers to the succeeding round. My next morning column on Talking Points Sports for Divisional Round Sunday 2021. From all four games ending in a field goal’s difference to the unbelievable walk off fashion in which the Chiefs sent the Bills faithful packing once again, I covered every heart stopping detail in it’s entirely to offer one wholesome synopsis of a weekend of fo0tball fans won’t be forgetting anytime soon. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/talking-points-sports/giants-hire-bills-joe-schoen-as-next-general-manager monthly 0.5 2022-03-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1646600610899-2C8A6XUTQG1FSY3E4TNF/Joe-Schoen+TPS.jpeg Talking Points Sports - Giants Hire Bills’ Joe Schoen as Next General Manager - “It’s official, the New York Giants have found their new guy in the front office. T he Giants announced early Friday afternoon that they have hired Buffalo Bills assistant general manager Joe Schoen to become the new general manager. The decision comes after two weeks of interviewing nine different candidates over Zoom and inviting three finalists to East Rutherford to meet with ownership and members of the personnel department. Schoen becomes the Giants’ fifth general manager in the last 41 years, and he enters with arguably the biggest to-do list since George Young stepped into the building in 1979. Following the end of the 2021 season, which ended in a 4-13 team record and dropped his resume to 19-46 overall in four years, former general manager Dave Gettleman elected to step down from his post and entire retirement. Gettleman’s announcement was long expected given his age and the inability to make good on his promises to fix the Giants struggling offensive line. Schoen now steps into his place much to the approval of the fanbase . “Now, the work begins,” Schoen said in a statement released by the team. “My immediate focus is to hire a head coach, with whom I will work in lockstep with to create a collaborative environment for our football operations.” My reporting for Talking Points Sports covering the New York Giants hiring of Bills’ assistant GM Joe Schoen to become their new general manager. I discuss Schoen’s background, offer some quotes, and what the hiring means for the Giants. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/talking-points-sports/black-monday-in-new-york-giants-flounder-finale-gettleman-retires-and-judge-is-gone monthly 0.5 2022-03-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1646599794489-FKDD2YZFY75V3O51KWV4/TPS+Black+Monday+Giants.jpeg Talking Points Sports - Black Monday in New York: Giants Flounder Finale, Gettleman Retires, and Judge is Gone - “It’s finally over, Giants fans. We can all breathe a sigh of relief for the merciful conclusion of the Giants’ embarrassing 2021 season. A year ending with a 4-13 record—tied for the most losses in a single season in Giants history—and marred by total dysfunction at every level of the organization. Getting to this point required an extreme amount of resolve and metal fortitude. Each progressive Sunday made it harder for the diehard fans not to ditch their loyalty and walk out on the organization for good. The on-field product was a total disaster, partly due to relentless injuries but also a result of the incompetence of the front office and head coach in building a properly fitted roster and innovative coaching staff. After the neck injury to starter Daniel Jones in week 12, the quarterback play by his relievers—Mike Glennon and Jake Fromm— degraded to some of the worst numbers ever seen in the history of professional football. The Giants inability to score touchdowns made one question if they were watching a soccer game, in their case a very tedious one. The charades were never finished once the final whistle blew on another Giants loss, they followed right into the postgame. There, fans were force fed another heaping plate of the “culture” talk by Joe Judge while his top playmakers barely scratched the box score and those same fans were leaving with paper bags over the heads. The horror show culminated Sunday at MetLife Stadium in another meaningless season finale with the Giants providing one of the poorest send-offs to their frustrated fan base and, as it turned out, numerous members within the organization. Their stadium mostly barren, Big Blue laid a goose egg for three quarters before notching a late touchdown to soften the blow of a 22-7 loss and series sweep to the Washington Football Team. In what has become a decade-long bout of horrendous football, the latest version of the Giants never looked so many light years apart from the 2011 group that displayed amazing New York grit and captivated so many New Yorkers en route to their title run. With that travesty behind them, the even greater news is that the time has come for Giants’ leadership to face the music and take accountability for the disastrous campaign that has ensued under their watch and the decisions that led to it.” My in-depth coverage of Black Monday within the New York Giants organization following their 4-13 season and all the humiliating moments that came with it, ultimately leading to the retirement of general manager Dave Gettleman and the firing of head coach Joe Judge. I touched on the season finale, the buildup through the final six games of the regular season, and what’s next for the Giants in the aftermath of much needed changes. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/talking-points-sports/whether-with-giants-or-elsewhere-joe-judges-biggest-lesson-is-in-accountability monthly 0.5 2022-03-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1646599212077-BKDNPQ00B89G88T8SDVJ/Joe+Judge+Account+TPS.jpeg Talking Points Sports - Whether with Giants or Elsewhere, Joe Judge’s Biggest Lesson is in Accountability - “What makes some of the greatest head coaches who they are? New York Giants head coach Joe Judge learned the varying answers to that question during his time as an understudy to Bill Belichick in New England. Serving as the Patriots’ special teams coordinator from 2015-2019, Judge had a front row seat to arguably the greatest dynasty in sports history. He had the privilege of riding on the coattails of four Super Bowl runs in that span, three of which ended in titles for the franchise. … Like Judge, many of Belichick’s former assistants have tried to take the tutelage gained from their teacher to other organizations who’ve hired them in recent years, often ending up with negative results. When the Giants hired Judge back in January 2020, they fell in love with his identity as a Belichick student and were impressed by the then 38-year-old’s demeanor–the way he talked and acted like a coach who’s built programs from the ground up–and the vision he had for the franchise. John Mara and Steve Tisch boldly believed they had found their own Belichick, or even another Bill Parcells. Even to this day that is reportedly their belief. Too bad in the record books, the similarities just aren’t there yet. … However, while those are all critical components to becoming a coach and team with sustained success, there is a larger aspect of Belichick’s career that Judge is severely missing. Wins on his resume.” Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/talking-points-sports/comeback-kemba-lighting-it-up-and-proving-he-belongs-in-knicks-rotation monthly 0.5 2022-03-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1646598662064-D6UGAPEBFXKNVOPSUTD8/TPS+Walker+Comeback.jpeg Talking Points Sports - Comeback Kemba Lighting It Up and Proving He Belongs in Knicks Rotation - “Just under a month ago, Kemba Walker’s honeymoon return to New York appeared all but over. While his entire team was struggling in just about every component of the game after their hot start to the season, Walker’s deficiencies were put under the Garden spotlight. His offensive numbers hit record lows of 11.7 points and 3.1 assists and his “cardiac shooting was down to a dismal 39% from the field. Defensively, his 6-foot-1 stature gave him problems in the Knicks’ defensive system valuing one-on-one matchups and getting over the screens of taller players. Twenty brief games into his latest stint, Walker was displaced from the Knicks’ rotation and forced to watch the team’s “struggle bus” stretch unfurl from the bench. Once the December 15th opening of the trade market for offseason signees neared, the point guard seemed destined to be sent to another market as the Knicks’ issues at that position continued. Walker had no such plans in mind, and neither did the latest surge of the COVID-19 pandemic ravaging the NBA. He refused to sit idle and sulk on the far end of the Knicks bench until his name was called again by head coach Tom Thibodeau or he was moved. The UConn prodigy went back to his roots, serving as a leader and supportive teammate for the young guys in the rotation while working on his pull-up shooting that made him famous at every stop in his career. The 32-year-old’s patience, consistent effort and encouragement inspired the entire locker room and were a testament to his insatiable desire to play for his hometown team. Yet, little did anyone know that the unprecedented moment in his career would spark a new Kemba and open the door for an incredible return when Walker’s name was unexpectedly called back to action. Called a “pro’s pro” by Thibodeau, Walker entered Madison Square Garden on December 23rd as the starting point guard and gave the Knicks a strong reminder of the everlasting grandeur of his athleticism with an unforgettable performance on the court he once gazed upon as a youth spectator.” A follow-up column on Talking Points Sports stemming from a prior piece in my “Inside the Mecca” Series about Kemba Walker and his abrupt removal from the Knicks rotation just 20 games into the 2021 season. I covered Walker’s season-high 44-point performance at Madison Square Garden to help the Knicks beat the Wizards and what it took for him to return to the pedestal he dreamed of being on. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/talking-points-sports/the-good-the-bad-and-the-ugly-from-the-giants-3721-loss-to-the-la-chargers monthly 0.5 2022-03-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1646598202823-XB8XHR7Q0U6SOFKAZ4A1/giants-chargers+TPS.jpg Talking Points Sports - The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly from the Giants 37-21 Loss to the LA Chargers - “Before his team departed Hard Rock Stadium in Miami with a 20-9 loss to the Dolphins eight days ago, Joe Judge felt he had a great idea to help his players bond and rediscover their identity that’s been nonexistent the entire season. Boarding the plane with their eighth loss of the year, the Giants would skip returning home to the noise and negative (deservedly so) distractions in New York for the seclusion and soul-searching desert of Tucson, Arizona. Spending the week practicing at the University of Arizona, Big Blue would figure out who they wanted to be and correct the lingering issues that have plagued them as the final stretch of the season drew near in Los Angeles. Unfortunately for Judge, his team’s identity as a losing, offensively inept football team had been long established this season. And certainly, an organized retreat in the middle of nowhere and away from the metaphorical heat of New York didn’t fix that as the Giants faced the Chargers on Sunday. Entering SoFi Stadium for their first matchup in four years, the Chargers added a new element to the storied connection between the two franchises, one the Giants would now like to forget.” A Sunday Giants postgame recap and reactionary piece for Talking Points Sports following New York’s Week 14 thrashing to the Los Angeles Chargers. I tied the storyline of this game and the quarterbacks matchup back to the infamous Eli Manning relationship and proceeded to analyze the good, the bad, and everything in between as the Giants season spiraled further out of control. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/talking-points-sports/inside-the-mecca-kemba-walker-s-homecoming-downfall-and-the-knicks-perpetual-point-guard-problem monthly 0.5 2021-12-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1638546359774-AWSJ5BP5KF81T729OZX2/knicks-kemba+walker-TPS.jpeg Talking Points Sports - Inside the Mecca: Kemba Walker ’s Homecoming Downfall, and the Knicks’ Perpetual Point Guard Problem - And for the first six games of the 2021 season, there was reason to believe it did. Behind Walker and the revitalized offense, with Thibodeau in his second season as head coach, the Knicks started off as one of the hottest teams in the NBA, going 5-1 in that stint. After struggling from the three-point line last season, the Knicks were suddenly one of the best shooting teams in several three-point categories, including attempts, shots made, and three-point shooting percentage. Part of that came from Walker’s prowess at knocking down the deep ball which he has done at 41.3% rate this season, a career-best. Throughout the month of October, Walker averaged 15 points on 50% shooting from the field and 57.9% from the arc to go along with 3 rebounds and assists a piece. That efficiency inspired the rest of the Knicks point guard base-RJ Barrett, Derrick Rose, Alec Burks and Immanuel Quickley—to up their scoring production as well, accounting for an average of 60 points of offensive production per game. Living out his childhood dream, Walker and the Knicks looked poised for another run at a top-four seed in the Eastern Conference. That was until recently, when inconsistency and a major weakness of Walker’s—defense—struck down on both parties’ plans, ultimately spoiling the point guard’s homecoming, leading to his benching, and creating concerns over his future in orange and blue. New York Knicks' point guard Kemba Walker had 20 games in the homecoming spotlight before head coach Tom Thibodeau removed him from the rotation for his falling offense and defensive deficiencies, creating questions about the native's future with the team. Plus, his reassignment continues the trend of circulating point guards that the Knicks have been stuck in for the decade-plus. Who might be next on their list if Walker doesn't come back to the rotation? The second column of my Talking Points Sports' special on the state of everything in the New York Knicks, Inside the Mecca. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/talking-points-sports/defense-picks-hurts-thrice-giants-hold-off-eagles-137 monthly 0.5 2021-12-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1638546019690-KQ2LG9P7NCF5FSY3CZC2/giants-eagles+TPS.jpg Talking Points Sports - Defense Picks Hurts Thrice, Giants Hold Off Eagles 13-7 - Super Bowl 42 champion defensive end Michael Strahan returned to MetLife Stadium Sunday to have his #92 jersey taken off the racks with a special halftime ceremony in front of teammates and coaches from the title-winning team during the Giants’ Week 12 contest with the Philadelphia Eagles. With living examples of franchise greatness gathering in their midst, the Giants defense set out to make their predecessors and Strahan proud, particularly against a team that the latter tormented for 15 seasons with 21.5 sacks, the highest total of Strahan’s career against a single opponent. “We want to make the players that played before us and built the foundation for us proud,” said Giants safety Xavier McKinney after the game. “That was something we saw, and we wanted to go out there and dominate.” Channeling the infectious energy of the legendary Strahan, McKinney and the Giants defense continued his legacy of making life a living hell for the Eagles, smothering them for four turnovers overall and holding them to one score en route to a 13-7 win on Sunday, their first divisional victory of the season. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/talking-points-sports/inside-the-mecca-the-new-look-knicks-have-promise-and-talent-but-also-inconsistency-to-start-seaso monthly 0.5 2021-12-03 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1638022221798-HOB9TCZTEFCJZ5ZA6M83/Inside+the+Mecca+1+TPS.jpeg Talking Points Sports - Inside the Mecca: The New Look Knicks Have Promise and Talent, But Inconsistency to Start Season - After his squad ceased their “struggle bus” losing streak–as the great Knicks voice Mike Breen put it–at home by playing gritty defense, limiting the visiting Indiana Pacers to ten points down the stretch in a 92-84 victory at the Garden Monday night, Knicks forward Julius Randle marveled at the team’s come from behind performance. “10 points in the 4th, that’s impressive,” he said. “That’s Knicks basketball and that’s who we are.” Certainly, Monday’s game carried hues of the old school, defensive-heavy style of basketball displayed by the Knicks-Pacers in their battles of the 1980’s and 90’s. Neither team finished above 45% shooting from the field, and the Pacers were held to just two baskets in the fourth quarter after leading the Knicks for about three and a half quarters. Both sides also combined to start 1-21 shooting from the arc and 11 blocks on the defensive glass. Eventually, defense led to critical offense with the Knicks outscoring the Pacers 13-4 in the final minutes to earn their eighth win of the season. However, the performance Randle lauded hasn’t been totally characteristic of the Knicks’ 2021 season through the first fourteen games. The first edition of my new weekly Knicks column for Talking Points Sports: Inside the Mecca. Year 2 of the Thibodeau experiment, and the new look Knicks looked like they were taking off from where they left off last season, starting the season atop the East in three-point shooting, bench play, and with a 5-1 record. Since then, the Knicks have gone 5-8 and their issues with consistency and maximum effort have been revealed. I dissect the two sides of the Knicks we’ve seen this year, why it’s happening, and what needs to be done to right the course again. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/talking-points-sports/how-the-new-york-giants-approach-gm-position-shouldnt-depend-on-second-half-of-season monthly 0.5 2021-11-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1638021612096-9CJQ7KHMNSOJ3D5L37X8/dave-gettleman+TPS.jpeg Talking Points Sports - How the New York Giants Approach GM Position Shouldn’t Depend on Second Half of Season - Now with a 3-6 record, although not impressive by any measure, the Giants find themselves in another surprising mid-season playoff scenario, sitting only one spot back of the second wild card seed currently held by the Atlanta Falcons (4-4). In a sports market that clings onto any ration of hope for their teams to be successful, an unusual sniff at the postseason picture in an anomalistic bottom half of the NFC has people talking about what the second half mindset of the Giants should be. One side wants the Giants to put all their cards on the table and win a majority of their eight remaining games to make the push. The other is concerned over the same story as last year repeating itself: the Giants backing down on necessary organizational change in light of fluke success. In particular, change at the general manager position currently held by Dave Gettleman in his fourth season. A man who’s misleading tenure spans 1,416 days and has yet to spend one of those days above the .500 mark. When reading that fact alone, there is no reason to doubt the concern that has riddled the Giants fan base since Gettleman took over. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/talking-points-sports/mckinney-house-calls-carr-giants-stun-las-vegas-raiders-before-the-bye monthly 0.5 2021-11-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1638021237972-6N74VZXII2DDS351EW8P/Giants-Raiders-Xavier-McKinney+TPS.jpeg Talking Points Sports - McKinney House Calls Carr, Giants Stun Las Vegas Raiders Before the Bye - … McKinney, uncertain about his status for Sunday’s game, still didn’t rest on his laurels. The second-year safety out of Alabama took his time away from the team to focus his attention on and prepare for the Raiders even harder, despite the challenges of virtual participation. “I just tried to stay locked-in,” said McKinney. “Earlier in the week I didn’t know if I was going to play so I just stayed locked in and focused.” In a week that was wholly unconventional for the player and organization, the adjustments and diligent preparation sure paid off. Per NFL rules, a duo of negative tests Friday triggered false positive results for most of the impacted Giants’ personnel, allowing them to return to full participation in team buildings. For McKinney, the response was an emphatic, “Defensive Player of the Week” worthy performance in a huge victory led by huge plays from the defensive side. Behind two textbook interceptions, one a house call, by Xavier McKinney, the New York Giants flashed their hidden talent for two touchdowns and a 23-16 win over the Las Vegas Raiders at MetLife Stadium Sunday. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/talking-points-sports/giants-fluster-mahomes-lack-enough-luster-to-upset-chiefs-at-arrowhead monthly 0.5 2021-11-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1637986270340-S3TTNWE5Q5CC3GCEVL87/Giants+-+Chiefs+MNF+TPS.jpeg Talking Points Sports - Giants Fluster Mahomes, Lack Enough Luster to Upset Chiefs at Arrowhead - Succumbing to more injuries, committing more untimely penalties in the final minutes with the game on the line, and failing to execute and produce on critical offensive drives. All of it played out for the third time as the Giants narrowly fell to the Chiefs 20-17 on Monday Night Football. It was a game the Giants felt, despite mistakes, they had a lot of positives to take from and show on the tape. While second-year head coach Joe Judge didn’t hold back comments regarding issues like the team’s in-game headsets during the postgame, he didn’t want the whole presser to be about that or to espouse a totally woeful take on his team’s performance. Unfortunately in New York, and Judge knows this, the mistakes a team makes on the field are remembered just as much as the successful plays. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/talking-points-sports/new-york-giants-week-8-preview-monday-night-football-with-mahomes-and-the-struggling-chiefs monthly 0.5 2021-11-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1637985882507-VD0IOTQGY4P15KE73BLR/giants-chiefs+TPS.jpeg Talking Points Sports - New York Giants Week 8 Preview: Monday Night Football with Mahomes and the Struggling Chiefs - Last Sunday, the New York Giants played with grit, competitiveness, and a desire to prove themselves in a game they absolutely needed to. They laid the chip on their own shoulders after multiple weeks of the same pattern–tone setting coachspeak from head coach Joe Judge, tumultuous football, and more repetitive coachspeak in the postgame– and the time had come to show that their words could elevate into a more solid, winning performance on the field. All three phases of the game stepped up and made huge contributions to the team’s victory. The offense, as banged up as it was with continuous injuries, found their stride in the second half to the tune of 22 unanswered points and put quarterback Daniel Jones in the spotlight with his own highlight reception. Led by rookie linebacker Azeez Ojulari (2.5 sacks), the Giants defense racked up six sacks and forced an important turnover in the redzone. Last but not least, special teams was sharp and a big factor in the Panthers inability to push drives into scoring territory. The Giants (2-5) will need to prove themselves once again in Week 8, except this time against a more formidable foe that, up until recently, has carried a resume of Super Bowl-caliber dominance throughout the NFL. On Monday night, under the primetime lights of Arrowhead Stadium, the Giants will enter another stadium known for raising the decibel meter and look to earn a second consecutive win as they meet with the defending AFC Champion Kansas City Chiefs (3-4). The meeting marks the 15th regular season matchup between the two teams since their first on Nov. 3rd, 1974, with the Giants leading the series 11-3 and winning five of the last six contests. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/talking-points-sports/three-thoughts-following-the-new-york-giants-253-win-over-carolina-panthers monthly 0.5 2021-11-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1637982886672-OYC5EUW60Z4IVJ3NPI62/giants-panthers+three+thoughts+TPS.jpg Talking Points Sports - Three Thoughts Following The New York Giants 25-3 Win Over Carolina Panthers - Speaking at his recent media availability this week, Judge put blame on himself first for the Giants 1-5 start and made a point to say “the fish stinks from the head”. “There’s your answer. I’m the head coach. It’s my responsibility, point blank,” Judge said Thursday. “Every player on this field, every position group, the execution, it all comes down to me. The fish stinks from the head down.” “I’ve been taught that from great guys who I worked for, played for. There are no excuses, no exceptions. You demand it from your coaches to make sure that the players are playing the right way. You demand it of the players to know what to do and then go out there to do it.” Judge even made a promise to Giants fans last Monday that things would improve for the team and that the organization will be working tirelessly to ensure short and long-term success. Again, this is something that the Giants fan would want to hear from a young head coach. A resounding affirmation of confidence. However on Sunday, Judge and his football team didn’t just let his words fall on deaf ears and perform business as usual. Instead, the Giants returned to MetLife Stadium, backed their head coach with a resounding performance for sixty minutes, found ways to get over the faults that have haunted them, and walked off with a much needed win. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/talking-points-sports/new-york-knicks-and-boston-celtics-open-nba-season-with-a-double-ot-thriller monthly 0.5 2021-11-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1637982289211-DV43L1ELCP4N18VFGIXL/knicks-celtics+TPS.jpg Talking Points Sports - New York Knicks and Boston Celtics Open NBA Season with a Double OT Thriller - Bedlam at The Garden. Double overtime. 272 combined points. Jaylen Brown sniffs the record books for best season opening performances in league history. Julius Randle and Evan Fournier shine for the new look Knicks. Madison Square Garden erupts in relieved celebration as the final buzzer finally sounds. If those words were sufficient enough to convey the insanity that ensued at the World’s Most Famous Arena Wednesday night, I would end the piece here. That wouldn’t be good journalism nor sports writing if I did. So, while I am confident that many reading this have seen with their own eyes what unfolded in New York City, allow me to explain what will undoubtedly go down as one of the most entertaining and incredible NBA season opening games in recent history. In front of a raucous, sell-out crowd at Madison Square Garden, the new look New York Knicks outlasted Jaylen Brown and the Boston Celtics 138-134 in an absolutely thrilling 2OT performance. Despite blowing an 11-point lead in the final three minutes of regulation and allowing the Celtics to force overtime after Marcus Smart drained a game-tying three-point shot at the buzzer, the Knicks never lost their composure and went big shot for big shot with the Celtics offensive weapons in the extra periods to come out victorious. My first piece from becoming a Knicks writer for Taking Points Sports in addition to my Giants writer responsibilities. I did my best to wrap my head around and recap one of the greatest season-opening games in Knicks-Celtics—and NBA—history on Oct. 20th, 2021 at the Garden. A thrilling 2OT win by the new look Knicks to set the stage for the excitement that was to come in New York basketball this season. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/talking-points-sports/las-stars-shine-cross-country-giants-routed-by-rams-3811 monthly 0.5 2021-11-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1637981862406-YWK7CQ9NHPCDGQTWRC6F/rams-giants+TPS.jpeg Talking Points Sports - LA’s Stars Shine Cross Country, Giants Routed by Rams 38-11 - In a special halftime ceremony commemorating the 10-year anniversary of the organization’s fourth Super Bowl championship, former head coach Tom Coughlin, surrounding by members of the 2011 team including two-time Super Bowl MVP Eli Manning, issued a stern word of advice to the fans at MetLife as boos rained on the present team minutes prior. “It’s a long season”, Coughlin said, reminding Giants faithful of the trials of the 2011 season. “Seventeen weeks when we played, eighteen weeks now. Becoming a winning team takes a process.” The legendary Giants coach was absolutely correct, yet it’s hard to imagine a single Giants fan not already knowing that message prior to the first individual entering the stadium on Sunday. If not then, perhaps even earlier than that. On Sunday, the New York Giants opened their Week 6 matchup, a cross-country matchup with the Los Angeles Rams, with a 14 play, 73-yard drive that was halted and finished with a Graham Gano 27-yard kick to give themselves a 3-0 early lead. They held the west coast visitors scoreless through the first quarter, but then it was total Californian dominance for the remainder of the afternoon. Returning from a concussion diagnosis he landed in Week 5, Daniel Jones threw three interceptions, fumbled the ball once, and the Rams responded with four touchdowns of their own in the second quarter to give Los Angeles (5-1) a 38-11 rout of the Giants. The Giants fell to 1-5 on the season for the fifth straight year, further shining the light on the distance the franchise has separated itself from the glory days ten years ago. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/talking-points-sports/where-does-the-giants-offense-go-from-here-with-injuries monthly 0.5 2021-11-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1637980881319-8GUMYFX9A3ZIKRRLU4YG/saquon-barkley+TPS.jpeg Talking Points Sports - Where Does the Giants’ Offense Go From Here With Injuries? - Sunday’s 44-20 divisional loss to the Dallas Cowboys became properly known as the “Disaster in Dallas” among the New York media, who published the headline straight across the front pages of the daily papers the next morning. Their blunt description of the Giants’ afternoon wasn’t totally incorrect, however it was a disaster for reasons beyond the scoreboard. Already having entered the week without two receivers in Sterling Shepard and Darius Slayton, captain and middle linebacker Blake Martinez, and linemen Nick Gates and Shane Lemieux, the Giants most important goal, after winning the game, was to leave with no more than some healthy scratches. The win never surfaced, and likewise their second goal of remaining free of further injury woes. A midweek column for Talking Points Sports: The New York Giants just lost a huge divisional matchup where the impact was greater off the scoreboard and record books. The Giants saw Daniel Jones, Saquon Barkley, and Kenny Golladay all leave the game with severe injuries against the Cowboys, creating grave concern for the stability of the Giants’ offense moving ahead. With so much capital invested in the injured players, where do the turn to for offensive production as they try to salvage a quickly fallen season? Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/talking-points-sports/barkley-jones-and-more-exit-early-giants-rolled-by-dallas-cowboys-to-fall-to-14 monthly 0.5 2021-11-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1637980559028-DQJSLCDHBSAW1FVHP921/giants-cowboys+TPS.jpeg Talking Points Sports - Barkley, Jones and More Exit Early, Giants Rolled by Dallas Cowboys to Fall to 1-4 - Last Sunday, the New York Giants entered a boisterous, antagonistic environment, in an 0-3 hole for the third season in the last five, for a game with so much on the line for both themselves and the opposing New Orleans Saints. Kudos to complete composure on the offensive side of the ball, they left the Bayou with an incredible 11-point comeback in the fourth quarter and overtime to steal their first win of the season. Coming into Week 5, the Giants had another game on their docket carrying an enormous amount of significance–a divisional matchup with arguably their most hated rival, the Dallas Cowboys. Unfortunately, this time, they found themselves departing AT&T Stadium on the wrong side of history, and with a ton of difficult questions left to be answered that go beyond the X’s and O’s on tape. Three hundred sixty-four days to the day of his season-ending ankle injury against the Giants in Week 5 of 2020, Dak Prescott showcased the remarkable results of his year-long recovery, completing 22 passes for 302 yards and three touchdowns as the Dallas Cowboys torched the Giants, 44-20. The win improves Dallas’ record to 4-1 atop the NFC East, awarding them a fourth straight victory and their fifth straight against the Giants at home dating back to 2017. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/talking-points-sports/giants-march-on-saints-in-ot-barkley-cashes-in-to-upset-2721 monthly 0.5 2021-11-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1637980111999-DQ38VP2VU38NG7I9UH1Q/saints-giants+TPS.jpeg Talking Points Sports - Giants March on Saints in OT, Barkley Cashes in to Upset 27-21 - Trailing by 11 points in the fourth quarter, amid deafening New Orleans crowd noise and with an 0-4 start breathing down their team’s shoulderpads, Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley orchestrated a late, momentous New York rally that carried the festivities into overtime and punched the Giants into the win column for the first time this season. As part of a record-breaking performance that saw Jones throw for a career-high 402 yards, the Giants quarterback completed five passes for 67 yards in the overtime opening drive, setting up a 6-yard cash in run by Barkley with five minutes left in the extra period to give New York the 27-21 walk off victory. After watching two wins slip from their grasp thanks to unjustifiable miscues and last second field goals, the Giants got to experience their first taste of victory in 2021 on New Orleans’ turf. My Week 4 NFL Gameday Recap of the Giants’ upset win over the New Orleans Saints. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/talking-points-sports/giants-db-logan-ryan-sends-strong-message-to-overreactions-towards-03-star monthly 0.5 2021-11-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1637979579228-8PSOFYZZDCK94C1XCBC2/logan-ryan+TPS.jpeg Talking Points Sports - Giants DB Logan Ryan Sends Strong Message to Overreactions Towards 0-3 Star - Joe Judge said it best on Sunday night following his team’s 17-14 aggravating loss to the Atlanta Falcons in MetLife Stadium when posed a question about the negative reactions the organization–all the way up to ownership–received throughout the afternoon. New York is always going to be a tough, demanding place to play in and a market where everything is earned and no pats on the back are given freely. “It’s New York, it’s supposed to be a tough place to play right? Isn’t that the nature of where we’re at right now,” Judge said. “People demand excellence because we’re in the biggest market, so that’s what we have to work to give them.” “It’s our job to entertain them and give them something to cheer about.” While the Giants leader understands that when things go south in New York–particularly when his team is 6-13 under his tenure and riding along the bottom of the league in many statistical categories–it is only natural that the constituency they represent will commence chatter and overreact, there’s a player in his locker room not willing to buy into that part of the message. Logan Ryan believes that all the noise coming from the New York market–the talking heads in swivel chairs on sports talk radio specifically–is simply put, huge overreactions. Such to a team that has more talent and capability to turn things around than people are giving them credit for. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/talking-points-sports/deja-blue-giants-repeat-failures-hear-metlife-boos-in-loss-to-atlanta monthly 0.5 2021-11-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1637978936571-CZYQJ1Q67RO5523IT77S/falcons-giants+TPS.jpg Talking Points Sports - Deja Blue: Giants Repeat Failures, Hear MetLife Boos in Loss to Atlanta - From the sun-filled stands inside MetLife Stadium, blanketed by a sea of blue jerseys, only one member of the home team was greeted by a roar of unstoppable, deafening cheers. That person was a retired quarterback and newly inducted member to the organization’s Ring of Honor. For the rest–the real performers on what was a beautiful Sunday afternoon in northern New Jersey–it was an onslaught of boos that could only come from a crowd tired of watching the same old, disappointing act unfold before their eyes. While the entire Giants organization–past and present–came together on Sunday to celebrate the career and legacy of Eli Manning with a jersey retirement and Ring of Honor induction ceremony, it was the players on the field that did not bring the same effort for the two-time Super Bowl MVP. Behind a late game rally and a 40-yard field goal by kicker Younghoe Koo as time expired, the Atlanta Falcons rained on the Giants parade and stole their first win of the season, including that for first year head coach Arthur Smith, 17-14. The win removes Atlanta from the winless team club while for New York, the membership continues with another 0-3 start to the season. My NFL Week 3 Gameday Recap of Falcons - Giants for Talking Points Sports. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/talking-points-sports/new-york-giants-week-3-preview-the-get-right-game-vs-atlanta-amid-elis-pomp-and-circumstance monthly 0.5 2021-11-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1637978090272-XICRM9L9XFFM4IG86B2A/giants-week-3+TPS.jpeg Talking Points Sports - New York Giants Week 3 Preview: The “Get Right Game vs Atlanta Amid Eli’s Pomp and Circumstance - It has been a full week since the New York Giants fell to 0-2 for the fifth straight season, at the hands of a division rival whose number they’ve had in their previous five meetings. Usually by this stage of a standard NFL work week, the bruises of the previous game’s defeat have disappeared and the critical chatter ceased with the team’s focus shifting to the task ahead. In the aftermath of their crushing loss to the Washington Football Team, 30-29, last Thursday, that has not been the case. The exact opposite has occurred, with drama stemming from an in-game confrontation and a player’s postgame social media post prolonging the discussion of those matters at team press conferences this week. … Finally, after dealing with all the discrepancies from Week 2, the Giants can now brush off Washington and fully embrace the opportunity to get right against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday. New York enters the contest without a win, but there is reason to feel at least some confidence and optimism towards this matchup. A NFL Week 3 Preview for Talking Points Sports; Breaking down the storylines, matchups, and keys to the Giants finding success in the game. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/talking-points-sports/nfl/can-giants-oc-jason-garrett-retain-player-trust-job-with-offensive-struggles monthly 0.5 2021-09-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1632361970134-XMH346F2XYXS5UJ269Y2/TPS+Giants+Garrett+Article.jpeg Talking Points Sports - Can Giants OC Jason Garrett Retain Player Trust, Job with Offensive Struggles? - When he took the job as the offensive coordinator in January 2020, Jason Garrett may have thought he heard the last of the boos from the New York Giants fans he encountered twice a season for years. Likewise, that he reached the end of eight years of drama and constant criticism for his underperforming leadership that came with being under the lens of head coach of “America’s Team”. Little did he know, he was leaving his Dallas chapter, after being fired in 2018 by the Cowboys, for an even more passionate football city in New York, where nobody is given an inch and everything is earned. Thus, with the way the Giants’ offense has underperformed through a season and three weeks under his tenure, the struggles have only continued and the heat against his back intensified. With the 2021 season being one where numerous members of the Giants organization are on the hot seat if wins do not matriculate, Garrett could soon be joining the party if he doesn’t get the offense rolling with the chest of talent, including a mobile quarterback in Daniel Jones, at his disposal. Yet, whether Garrett keeps his job at the end of the season, if not through it, may depend on more than just the record in the standings or the stat cards on Sunday. A larger issue surrounding Garrett became apparent on Thursday night when cameras caught a concerning interaction between him and a player on the Giants sideline that could impact his job security. The trust of his players. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/talking-points-sports/nfl/lack-of-discipline-costly-mistakes-hand-giants-0-2-hole-in-painful-loss-to-washington monthly 0.5 2021-09-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1632360197080-QAAE79YAQ3UPDQ5NLQWE/New+York+Giants+Washington+Football+Team+TPS.jpeg Talking Points Sports - Lack of Discipline, Costly Mistakes Hand Giants 0-2 Hole in Painful Loss to Washington - There’s the old saying “give ‘em an inch, and they’ll take a mile”. The Giants gave Washington that inch, and they took off with five yards and a last second field goal to hand New York another excruciatingly painful defeat on Thursday night. Behind the scriptworthy heroics of backup quarterback Taylor Heinicke and a few unintended favors from the opponent, the Washington Football Team steadied the waves of five field goals from Graham Gano and returned one of their own in the final seconds to defeat the Giants, 30-29. Washington kicker Dustin Hopkins, after missing a 48-yarder a little to the right, received a second chance from 43 yards following a Giants infraction and he made sure he nailed it to send New York to another 0-2 start. Worse than that, their fifth straight 0-2 start to the season since 2016 and eighth in the last nine seasons. My Week 2 recap of the New York Giants Thursday Night Football matchup with division rival Washington, another exhibit of a preventable loss that will cost the Giants as the season continues. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/talking-points-sports/nfl/new-york-giants-week-2-preview-a-pivotal-tnf-matchup-with-the-washington-football-team monthly 0.5 2021-09-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1632359719046-KDAAZJTJE3EFHLF2KEUW/Giants+Huddle+TPS.jpeg Talking Points Sports - New York Giants Week 2 Preview: A Pivotal TNF Matchup with the Washington Football Team - Following their brutal, disappointing season-opening loss at home to the Denver Broncos, the New York Giants have no time to patch their wounds. The NFL schedule makers have not been friendly to the organization in recent years, including this season, and now the league overlords have handed the Giants another challenge. They must rebound quickly and travel to FedEx Field for their second game in five days, a contest against the defensive-minded Washington Football Team. The Giants and Washington are set to face off for the first time this season on Thursday Night Football in an important divisional matchup that could dictate the early fate of their seasons given their respective schedules. The two franchises enter Thursday at 0-1 after losing their Week 1 games to the Broncos and LA Chargers, with both aiming desperately to avoid the 0-2 hole. For the Giants, falling into that spot would be the fifth consecutive time since 2016–their last winning season–they’ve done so. My Week 2 game preview of the New York Giants - Washington Football Team game on Thursday Night Football for Talking Points Sports. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/talking-points-sports/https/talkingpointssportscom/nfl/giants-trampled-by-the-broncos-in-discouraging-season-opener monthly 0.5 2021-09-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1631643476476-EPDZMJ66U2JZC40DY94X/Giants+Broncos+2021+Week+1+TPS.jpeg Talking Points Sports - Giants Trampled by the Broncos in Discouraging Season Opener - For the first time since December 29th, 2019, the New York Football Giants got to rush out of the tunnels to a jam-packed MetLife Stadium eager to watch them play. With a renewed sense of togetherness and competitive passion, they were able to once again show their abilities and represent their city in front of a sea of blue jerseys instead of empty, gray seats accompanied by pumped in crowd noise. It truly was a pleasant sight to see as the Giants ran out to a raucous crowd in East Rutherford, a real sign that football in its best-known form had returned from the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic. What was not so joyous however, was the trampling that ensued after the opponent came stampeding from their respective tunnel. On Sunday afternoon, in front of 74,119 people and on a day marked by the celebratory return of running back Saquon Barkley from ACL injury rehabilitation, the Giants were handily upended by the Denver Broncos, 27-13. It was another disappointing week 1 loss for the Giants, who’ve now lost their fifth straight season opener and their 10th opener in the last 11 seasons. In my Talking Points Sports Monday Giants column, I provide the facts, stats, and analysis from the New York Giants kickoff of the 2021 season and opening Sunday loss to the Denver Broncos, 27-13. Also, I look ahead to the quick importance of the Week 2 matchup against the Washington Football Team on Thursday Night Football. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/talking-points-sports/mlb/the-subway-series-that-could-decide-new-york-baseballs-postseason-fate monthly 0.5 2021-09-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1631642611724-HBQRF8OXZGLX25OOV9XL/Mets+Yankees+Subway+Series+2021+TPS.jpeg Talking Points Sports - The Subway Series That Could Decide New York Baseball’s Postseason Fate - What makes for some of the most exciting and memorable games in any professional sport is when there is so much on the line leading into them. Intra-city bragging rights, a rivalry game, playoff race implications, each of these things can make an individual game or series worth ten fold in their end result and the anticipation leading into a game that much stronger. T he upcoming weekend in New York and the tri-state area will certainly be an important one, both inside the realm of sports and out. On Saturday, the city, and nation more broadly, will commemorate the 20th anniversary of the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Center towers, remembering the profound, long-lasting effect that the mournful day had on its citizens and the way both responded in the aftermath. Football returns from it’s eight-month hiatus as the Giants and Jets kick off their respective seasons on Sunday. On the baseball mound, the Yankees and Mets are set to meet each other for the second half of their annual Subway Series at Citi Field in Queens. Every time the two teams face off for New York bragging rights, there’s always a competitive atmosphere surrounding the contest. It’s the top-class, storied Yankees versus the little brother, ambitious Mets, who are looking to show they deserve more attention in their town. This series, however, will carry much more meaning than usual. That’s precisely because there is a lot on the line for both squads. In this TPS column, both New York baseball teams—the Yankees and Mets—have recently seen bumpy patches in the road of their 2021 season after they were heading towards playoff contention earlier on. As the two teams enter the weekend of the 20th anniversary of 9/11, they enter another Subway Series whose importance goes beyond the significance of the commemorations in New York City. When it’s all said and done, the series could also help or bury their hopes of remaining in the hunt for the playoffs—Yankees with the AL wild card and the Mets with the NL East division pennant. I break everything down and the significance for both teams in the article. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/talking-points-sports/mlb/the-new-york-yankees-are-now-flirting-with-completely-missing-the-mlb-postseason monthly 0.5 2021-09-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1631589274777-VAS13TLEMVEM7MJ2GHXM/Yankees+TPS.jpg Talking Points Sports - The New York Yankees Are Now Flirting with Completely Missing the MLB Postseason - There’s bedlam in the Bronx. Just not the good kind. In a season marked by entertaining highs mixed with frustrating lows, the New York Yankees now find themselves experiencing another bump in the road in 2021. Except in this instance, it could not come at a more inconvenient time. As the calendar was crossing into September and the final stretch of regular season baseball just last week, the anticipation was building in the Bronx and broader New York for a possible Yankees-Rays series at the end of the season to decide the AL East champ. That moment, however, was when the tide once again shifted on the Yankees, back in the negative direction. Now, after an embarrassing series loss and atrocious Labor Day performance at home, there is cause for grave concern. Not for the team’s division title prospects, but for those of making the postseason at all. In this TPS column, I discuss the severity of the New York Yankees losing skid in the final month of the regular season, just days after they rallied a 13-game win streak to build a 6.5 game lead on the first AL Wild Card spot. I also note what’s at stake if the team doesn’t revive the success that saw them become the hottest team in baseball in the month of August. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/talking-points-sports/nfl/the-giants-lack-of-clarity-on-saquon-barkley-and-kenny-golladay-remains-biggest-week-1-mystery monthly 0.5 2021-09-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1631588895150-107HHF5FLDSOFFX3A9TZ/Saquon+Barkley+TPS.jpeg Talking Points Sports - The Giants’ Lack of Clarity on Saquon Barkley and Kenny Golladay Remains Biggest Week 1 Mystery - As the New York Giants make their final preparations for the kickoff of the 2021 NFL season–the franchise’s 96th overall season–there are a few certainties in place. For one, their 53-man roster is set, and most of the names on the list we’ve come to expect. They are taking on the Denver Broncos at MetLife Stadium on Sept. 12th at 4:25 pm. Daniel Jones will resume the reins in his third season of a newly fortified Giants offense courtesy of GM Dave Gettleman and the front office’s offseason work. However, there’s one continuous concern amongst the media and fanbase that remains uncertain. That is the official Week 1 status of running back Saquon Barkley and wide receiver Kenny Golladay, two of the Giants most important offensive weapons. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/talking-points-sports/nfl/new-york-giants-2021-preview-the-season-of-daniel-jones-proving-he-can-lead-big-blue-to-long-term-success monthly 0.5 2021-09-01 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1630503761140-Q8SULUSK8Q1M1AOTQYQN/Daniel+Jones+TPS.jpeg Talking Points Sports - New York Giants 2021 Preview: The Season of Daniel Jones Proving He Can Lead Big Blue to Long Term S - “We’re going to put a product on the field that the people of this city and region are going to be proud of because this team will represent this area. We will play fast, we will play downhill, we will play aggressive. We will punch you in the nose for 60 minutes, we will play every play like it has a history and a life of its own, with a relentless, competitive attitude. We will play fundamentally sound, we will not beat ourselves.” These words from Joe Judge during his introductory presser as Giants head coach back on Jan. 9th, 2020 set the tone for the new direction to which he was going to take the organization. Some could say they sounded Tom Coughlin-like or that this was just classic football coach hobnob, however it became clear very quickly that Judge’s philosophy for his Giants team wasn’t a farce. The impact on and off the field became apparent as soon as that offseason began. The Giants and Judge crafted a solid core of assistant coaches and coordinators from different walks of the NFL to be the teachers of success for the players. Front office personnel negotiated diligently to recruit and sign some of the best veteran players on both sides of the ball who exuded the Judge philosophy and could get the younger players to buy into the system. While the Giants found huge strides in their defensive game in year one behind defensive coordinator Patrick Graham, there was much left to be desired on the offensive front. As in recent seasons, the team continued to struggle in developing any sort of offensive consistency and lacked a real offensive threat to put opposing defenses on notice after Saquon Barkley went down with an ACL injury. The offensive line was still a messy work in progress, and it was just one of a few factors that caused second-year quarterback Daniel Jones to become a turnover machine. All of this together led to a disappointing 6-10 record in 2020 and the Giants having to rely on a division rival to decide their final fate in early January. Now, as Joe Judge and Big Blue prepare to begin their 2021 campaign in just under two weeks, one of those woeful factors from 2020 still looms as a metaphorical question mark. One who must prove, not only for the team’s success but for his own fate, that he can rise to the occasion and be the long-term answer for the New York Giants. Daniel Jones. In my inaugural piece for Talking Points Sports, I begin my focused coverage of the New York Giants organization by providing a preview of the 2021 season, particularly through the lens of one player whose ultimate time to prove he’s the answer for the Giants has come—the starting quarterback Daniel Jones. The Duke product’s first two seasons in blue had flashes of hope, but his day one rookie demons have stuck around and prevented him from fully flourishing in the pocket. Can he fix those troubles and carry the Giants to a double digit win season, the first NFC East title since 2016, and the extension of his time in New York? Read the full piece here https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/fannationgiants-country-sicom daily 0.75 2024-08-13 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1634874280293-FYF6KKMGKYEMFNHNHS2Z/Sports+Illustrated+Fan+Nation+Giants+Country.jpg FanNation/Giants Country (SI.com) - In late September 2021, I was surprised with a message on my LinkedIn from an editorial director over at SI.com, reaching out to me about an opportunity with a digital publisher within their “FanNation” network. Simply seeing the message with Sports Illustrated in it, let alone my continued search at the time for any meaningful work in the industry, made my eyes open and want to read the message. They were looking for a young writer to join their New York Giants publisher, Giants Country, to contribute writing and other forms of coverage towards their efforts of being the official Giants beat for the company’s FanNation network. I was interested, sent in some materials, had a couple phone calls with the senior writer, and the rest is history. Being able to gain my first real experience post-graduation in the sports media field with a brand like SI and FanNation is something I am grateful and excited for. In my first days with Giants Country, I am helping their gameday coverage through providing pieces such as Notebooks/Takeaways and am covering stories from press briefings throughout the week from Giants coaches and players. Check out my best work below or visit my site page for more https://www.si.com/nfl/giants/author/stephen-lebitsch https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/fannationgiants-country-sicom/new-york-giants-training-camp-position-preview-outside-linebackers monthly 0.5 2024-03-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/302e8568-1a63-4a5f-a208-286ad253022b/Giants+Country+2023+24+Training+Camp+Position+Preview+Outside+LBS.jpg FanNation/Giants Country (SI.com) - New York Giants Training Camp Position Preview: Outside Linebackers - Since trading Jason Pierre-Paul, the New York Giants seemed to have lost pass rushing edge that championed them to their two most recent Super Bowl titles. Despite influxes of players and changes at the coaching helm, the franchise couldn’t muster up any dominance at the line of scrimmage, and the result was bottom barrel pass and run rush rankings in four of the past five seasons. Last fall, with the hiring of defensive coordinator Wink Martindale and the addition of pieces like rookie outside linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux, the tides quickly took a turn, and the Giants’ defense became an improved unit that pestered the opposing backfield every Sunday. In the blitz-heavy system, the Giants rose to 25th in the NFL in yards allowed, forced the second-most fumbles, and cut their opponents' scoring and average time of possession significantly. While it was a collective effort throughout the season to make the big plays, much of the credit had to be given to the guys' efforts in the outside linebacker position. Spearheaded by Thibodeaux and second-year teammate Azeez Ojulari, the group became a strength within the Giants defense by setting the tone early and often via the pass rush and compiling a nice chunk of the team’s sacks and turnover metrics in 2022. Whether it was chasing down the opposing ball carrier from the other side of the field, stripping the ball and returning it for a touchdown, or making the big-time hit to shut down a drive’s momentum, there were memorable plays made by the outside linebackers that carried the Giants to big wins and helped define their surprising campaign. If injuries stay away in 2023, the good news is that they’ll be running it back with the same squad holding higher expectations. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/fannationgiants-country-sicom/why-tyrod-taylor-might-just-be-giants-most-underrated-player monthly 0.5 2024-03-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/d888314e-dd63-4056-8af4-dadf35d83936/Tyrod+Taylor+Giants+Country+Roster+Preview.jpg FanNation/Giants Country (SI.com) - Why Tyrod Taylor Might Just Be Giants' Most Underrated Player - Before last season, the New York Giants were uncertain about starting quarterback Daniel Jones and his apparent lack of progression in the fundamentals of the position. For that reason, as harsh as it may sound, they always had a backup plan if Jones flopped in 2022. That backup plan was quarterback Tyrod Taylor. After playing with five other NFL franchises, including making two postseason appearances, Taylor signed with the Giants on a two-year contract worth $11 million in March 2022 to serve as the potential bridge gunslinger in the event Jones couldn’t prove himself that year. While the No. 6 overall pick in the 2019 draft was able to put forth the best outing of his career to ultimately land a massive new deal, Taylor did make two appearances in the regular season, the first being in Week 4 against Chicago, when he came in relief of Jones for a couple, plays and then in a Week 14 in a blowout loss to Philadelphia. *** A segment in our 2023-24 Giants roster preview, featuring backup quarterback Tyrod Taylor and what he brings as the No. 2 arm for the Giants quarterbacks room if he stays around for the 2023-24 season. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/fannationgiants-country-sicom/is-giants-ilb-micah-mcfaddens-stock-on-the-rise monthly 0.5 2024-03-17 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/3d7a64b3-fe9f-4fd8-b609-d8c8d3c5beb2/Micah+McFadden+Giants+Country+Roster+Preview.jpg FanNation/Giants Country (SI.com) - Is Giants ILB Micah McFadden's Stock on the Rise? - Among all the surprising storylines to come out of the New York Giants 2022 season, one of the most pleasant was the arrival and performance of inside linebacker Micah McFadden. A native of Tampa, Florida, the 23-year-old Indiana product landed in East Rutherford last spring after being selected in the fifth round of the 2022 draft and quickly rose to the occasion when his name was called amid injuries to the position. Before the NFL, McFadden played four seasons with the Hoosiers. As his role in the defense increased each year, he amassed 216 tackles (149 solos), 37 tackles for loss, 14 sacks, four interceptions, three forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery. His tackles-for-loss still ranks sixth in program history, and all his impressive numbers helped him earn two All-Big Ten team nods and two inter-team recognitions. The rookie began earning significant snaps in Week 8 against the Seattle Seahawks when he made his first NFL sack and had his best outing of the year in both run and pass rush defense. In the second half of the season, McFadden notched seven games with at least 30 snaps and was one of the best tacklers on the Giants, with an average missed tackle rate of 9.1%. Unfortunately, McFadden was inactive for the Giants' postseason contests in Minnesota and Philadelphia, but his regular season stat line finished fifth-best on the defensive leaderboard. It was a pretty impressive debut for the aggressive rookie, and he’ll look to maintain his presence in the interior of the defense next fall. *** A piece of our 2023-24 Giants roster preview series, featuring my installment on Giants linebacker Micah McFadden and the best- and worst-case scenarios for his future with the team and a final expectation for his place on the roster. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/fannationgiants-country-sicom/new-york-giants-nfl-draft-history-of-the-24th-overall-pick monthly 0.5 2024-02-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/724fac73-afc6-492b-b57a-7756f86b9aeb/Giants+Country+Giants+History+of+the+24th+overall+pick.jpg FanNation/Giants Country (SI.com) - New York Giants NFL Draft: History of the 24th Overall Pick - Thursday night, the New York Giants were slated to make their first selection with the 25th overall pick, marking the eighth time in franchise history they held that slot in the opening round. Yet after seeing the draft board begin to fall out of their favor, general manager Joe Schoen jumped on a seven-year trend and pushed the team up a notch to secure one of the most valuable players on the defensive side of the football. Trading the 25th pick (plus their 160th and 240th overall picks) to the Jacksonville Jaguars in exchange for their 24th selection, the Giants attacked their need for depth in the secondary by selecting cornerback Deonte Banks out of Maryland. It might have been one spot, but New York knew they had to step out of their comfort zone to preserve their goal of closing the talent gap with the rest of the NFC East. “The way it went down and the way the board fell, we were getting depleted," Schoen said after the pick of Banks. “So it was the right thing to do for us…We had something in place with Jacksonville, and it worked out." Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/fannationgiants-country-sicom/stephen-lebitschs-7round-new-york-giants-only-mock-draft-2023 monthly 0.5 2024-02-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/67831377-b5d5-4dee-a7db-7cf72664a869/Giants+Country+2023+Mock+Draft.jpg FanNation/Giants Country (SI.com) - Stephen Lebitsch’s 7-Round New York Giants Only Mock Draft 2023 - It has come to that time of the NFL calendar year again when the dust settles on the culminating achievement of one franchise’s football journey the season before, and all 32 teams turn towards restocking their rosters in the spring for the year ahead. Free agency and its accompanying “legal tampering window” tend to be the first phase of each club’s offseason adjustments. The New York Giants were quite active in that regard, re-signing and recruiting talented additions at several positions of need. Now, the attention turns to the 2023 NFL Draft in Kansas City, where the next generation of collegiate stars will make their professional football dreams a reality on one of the biggest stages in sports. In the meantime, there is only one thing for football enthusiasts everywhere to bask in until their team makes their ultimate selections. That is a month-long barrage of mock drafts. As part of a series from the Giants Country writing staff, this is my second annual 7-Round Giants only mock draft for the FanNation website. Using PFF’s own simulator, knowledge of team needs, and analysis, I crafted a seven-round mock draft to offer some simulations of where the Giants 2023 draft could go and to open up discussion of the picks with the site readership. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/fannationgiants-country-sicom/2022-giants-position-review-running-backs monthly 0.5 2024-02-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/acbcd9ec-a8d8-47ec-9c9d-2888adef4a97/Giants+Country+2023+Position+Review+RunningBacks.jpg FanNation/Giants Country (SI.com) - 2022 Giants Position Review: Running Backs - Have you ever wondered what happened to the dynamic rushing attacks that characterized the New York Giants’ backfields during their Super Bowl years? The days when rushing the football was a strength both in the trenches and on the edge, and the team had a duo of ball carriers that could punish defenses to a 1,000+ yard campaign that put the league on notice? A fter a decade of losing that luster and showcasing one of the most miserable rushing products in the entire NFL, the Giants rediscovered their crown jewel through a dual-threat dominance headlined by Saquon Barkley and quarterback Daniel Jones that elevated the backfield to a top-10 unit in 2022. The running back position’s biggest limitation for the past couple of seasons was its nagging injuries. While he had an impressive rookie debut in 2018, Barkley’s outings in 2020 and 2021 would be severely hampered by consecutive ACL and ankle ailments. Without their stud back receiving heavy handoffs, the team couldn’t get the ball rolling behind their replacements, and the offense bottomed out in overall production each season. Last year, the Giants brought in Mike Kafka to serve as the next offensive mastermind, and with the healthy returns of Barkley and Jones, the ground game accelerated into a well-oiled machine. One year removed from ranking 25th or worse in all major categories, the Giants rose to 18th in total yards this fall, including fourth in rushing yards and fifth in average yards per carry. … As the 2023 NFL league year neared, I took the opportunity to highlight the progress of the New York Giants running backs position and where they were headed in the upcoming offseason ahead, as part of a content series for “Giants Country”. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/fannationgiants-country-sicom/giants-2023-ufa-primer-slb-landon-collins monthly 0.5 2024-02-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/0703cf7c-9fb4-4128-8595-6bd20b1f642c/Giants+Country+2023+UFA+Primer+S+Landon+Collns.jpg FanNation/Giants Country (SI.com) - Giants 2023 UFA Primer: S/LB Landon Collins - …. In his rookie campaign with the Giants, Collins was named the starting free safety after the departure of several defensive veterans to free agency and tallied 112 tackles, one forced fumble, one interception, and nine passes batted to receive a PFWA All-Rookie Team honor in 2015. His next three seasons with Big Blue saw resumes of at least 96 tackles, four sacks, two fumbles, seven interceptions, and a defensive touchdown. Still, the front office elected to part ways with the safety instead of forking out a huge contract to retain him. Shifting down the east coast to Washington with his new lucrative deal, Collins’ tenure with the Redskins would be met only by consecutive injuries that limited his time on the field and brought questions to the massive payday the organization invested in him. After having his third 100+ tackle season in 2019, Collins suffered a torn Achilles in 2020 and a foot ailment in 2021, cutting his appearances to 20 contests and production significantly en route to a post-June 1 release that summer. Scouring the market for rentals amid injuries to players like Xavier McKinney in the secondary, the Giants brought back their former second-round pick to offer depth to their defense during a late-season push to the playoffs. That rental has ended, and it’s up to the front office to decide if they will invest in a familiar face this time around. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/fannationgiants-country-sicom/giants-2023-ufa-primer-rb-saquon-barkley monthly 0.5 2024-02-24 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/a8b2d18a-b486-417b-9e03-db43a6f56412/Giants+Country+2023+UFA+Primer+Article+Saquon+Barkley.jpg FanNation/Giants Country (SI.com) - Giants 2023 UFA Primer: RB Saquon Barkley - Just like when he takes off through the gaps for a 30-yard touchdown run, the rookie contract of running back Saquon Barkley has flashed before our eyes. A native of the Bronx who moved to Pennsylvania for his high school and collegiate days, Barkley was selected second overall by the Giants in the 2018 NFL Draft, the first slew of draft picks made by then-general manager Dave Gettleman. Hailing from Penn State University, the 25-year-old would play three seasons on the Nittany Lions football team, scouring 671 carries for 3,843 yards and 43 touchdowns on the ground and 102 receptions for 1,195 yards and eight touchdowns out wide. His talents would earn him two Big Ten Offensive Player of the Year recognitions and multiple All-Big Ten team nods. The initial embrace by the New York faithful on draft night wouldn’t be as welcoming to Barkley. Many pundits and fans watching thought the Giants reached significantly for a running back at the No. 2 pick, especially for a position with its concerns with durability in recent history. Gettleman thought Barkley was an incredible talent too worthy of passing up, even to the point of describing him as “touched by the hand of God” and a future Hall of Famer. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/fannationgiants-country-sicom/new-york-giants-week-17-by-the-numbers monthly 0.5 2023-08-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/ab4e3bb4-fbdf-4046-bfa8-df9f79d27280/Giants+Country+NYG+IND+By+the+Numbers+Week+17+2022.jpg FanNation/Giants Country (SI.com) - New York Giants Week 17: By the Numbers - For the first time in six seasons, a period that sometimes felt much longer than that, a January game at MetLife Stadium would not end in the sorrows of another lost season. Nor would one find fans adorned with masquerading paper bags over their heads, letting out groans deathly audible from the top decks. On New Year’s Day 2023, with a packed house in East Rutherford reminiscent of the 2011 Wild Card game when New York would begin the improbable, the exact opposite happened. With the opportunity placed right in front of them, the Giants would spark a moment years ahead of their time by putting on a dominant 38-10 thrashing on the Indianapolis Colts and clinching their first postseason berth since 2016. In a season where there were competing prognostications about how low the franchise would go in year one of a long, arduous rebuild, the Giants showed the world they could fix the team and compete simultaneously. Despite countless obstacles, including injuries and a ridden salary cap situation, the new brass made do with a roster full of practice squad players. It helped them compete for a spot in the league’s ultimate dance. It’s finally that time, the New York Giants have returned to the postseason after a half-decade of miserable mediocrity. There’s certainly credit to be passed out to all but nobody more than quarterback Daniel Jones. One of my favorite installments of my second 2022 regular season-long assignment where I broke down the top players and numbers that defined the New York Giants’ win or loss on Sunday. This one was the pinnacle as the Giants sealed their first postseason berth since 2016 in a season where the expectations never had them coming close to that stage. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/fannationgiants-country-sicom/new-york-giants-week-1-first-look-at-titans-offense monthly 0.5 2023-08-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/6b953738-cc1c-4d96-aaf0-19430a39264e/Giants+Country+First+Look+Opponent+Offense+Week+1+2022.jpg FanNation/Giants Country (SI.com) - New York Giants Week 1: First Look at Titans’ Offense - “Whereas the Giants are just starting their journey back to relevancy, the Titans have chugged through their own difficult process to find themselves as one of the rising contenders in the AFC. After eight years of mediocrity dating back to 2008, the team has spent the past six seasons above .500, including two AFC South titles and four postseason appearances. Last season, despite riding heavily off the strength of their defense (ranked 6th in points allowed and top five in stopping the run game), Tennessee’s offense ranked 15th in points per game (24.6 average) and scored at least 25 points in nine of their regular season matches. Much of that production was credited to the dominant run game, led by running back Derrick Henry, who helped the Titans’ backfield tally 14 touchdowns, the third most in the league.” The first installment of my 2022 regular season-long assignment previewing the offense of the 18 opponents on the New York Giants schedule. Each covered the quarterback, running backs, wide receivers, tight ends, and offensive line and touched on stats, skill sets, and intangibles that could cause trouble for the Giants defense. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/fannationgiants-country-sicom/giants-safety-xavier-mckinney-born-to-be-a-leader monthly 0.5 2023-08-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/4bc54b4d-7c2d-4889-9e37-d33453072235/Giants+Country+Xavier+McKinney+Transcript+Story+2022.jpg FanNation/Giants Country (SI.com) - Giants Safety Xavier McKinney: Born to Be a Leader - New York Giants safety Xavier McKinney should be a shining example to young defensive backs of how hard work, resilience, and dedication can work marvels in elevating their NFL careers. Just two years prior, the Giants’ 2020 second-round pick out of Alabama joined the organization as a physically versatile player with a bunch of expectations. After an impressive collegiate career in Tuscaloosa that featured a First-Team All-SEC nod and national championship, a fractured foot quickly marred the rookie’s inaugural season and put those expectations on hold. In 2021, the Roswell, Georgia native worked his way back from the lingering injury to put on one of the more impressive individual defensive performances of the Giants season. Playing in all 17 games, McKinney notched 93 tackles (third-best on the team) while more than tripling his interception count (5 total), adding on a touchdown and earning an NFC Defensive Player of the Week acknowledgment. Now, as he prepares to enter his third professional season with New York, the 23-year-old’s effort hasn’t gone unnoticed, and he is about to assume a well-deserved responsibility handed down to him by his teammates–serving as a team captain. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/fannationgiants-country-sicom/dexter-lawrence-ii-aims-to-become-passrush-force monthly 0.5 2023-08-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/9ef574b4-a1fe-482f-b760-e4dd6bb3e65c/Giants+Country+Dexter+Lawrence+Transcript+2022.jpg FanNation/Giants Country (SI.com) - Dexter Lawrence II Aims to Become Pass-Rush Force - New York Giants defensive lineman Dexter Lawrence II is a man on a mission. The team's "other" first-round draft pick in 2019--he was chosen No. 17 overall--projects as a key part of defensive coordinator Wink Martindale's defense, and with good reason. The 6-foot-4, 242-pound Lawrence is poised to team up with Leonard Williams on the Giants' defensive line, where they hope to become a nuisance to opposing quarterbacks. “He’s looked good,” said the Giants head coach on Tuesday following the team’s second fully padded practice session. “He’s powerful. He came in in shape. He’s a very smart player. I’ve been very impressed in the defensive meetings as he sits down and (Defensive Coordinator) Wink (Martindale) goes through the defense.” Lawrence, who had the option year in his rookie deal picked up by the team, has been a solid addition to the roster. He's yet to miss a game due to injury and has been a brick wall against the run. According to Pro Football Focus, Lawrence has logged 102 career tackles and 89 stops. What Lawrence hasn't quite done just yet is develop into a consistent pass rusher. Although credited with 102 career pressures by PFF, he has just nine sacks, four of which came during the 2020 season. The Giants would like to see Lawrence, who is extremely athletic for a man of his physical stature, further develop that part of his game. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/fannationgiants-country-sicom/new-york-giants-special-teams-preview-straight-forward monthly 0.5 2024-02-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/b8779404-8428-4c0b-ab6d-f9f1058626d1/Giants+Country+Special+Teams+Position+Preview+2022.jpg FanNation/Giants Country (SI.com) - New York Giants Special Teams Preview: Straight Forward - If there’s one thing the New York Giants learned about their roster during the 2021 season, they need to strengthen and preserve their special teams units. Led by special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey, this group was a frequent visitor—and often an offensive savior—on the field last season. With constant injuries, poor play calling, and a Giants offense that bottomed the NFL in points, touchdowns scored, and total yards, it was up to special teams to help the Giants even get on the scoreboard, let alone take one of their rare victories. ….. Entering 2022, the Giants will have some roster turnover to factor into the equation of who will contribute to the special teams efforts. Only four players who returned balls last season are returning this season, and at least two are likely competing for a roster spot in training camp. All these things considered, the Giants’ brass continues to hold faith in the job McGaughey has done with the Giants special teams. With Gano and long snapper Casey Kreiter returning, there should be plenty of comfortability and continued success there so long as injuries don’t rear their ugly heads. Instead, the key mission for McGaughey is figuring out what weapons are at the Giants special teams’ disposal and how to deploy them in a scheme that will vastly improve the Giants field position and set the offense up for greater success every possession. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/fannationgiants-country-sicom/new-york-giants-special-teams-preview-straight-forward-ek8gd monthly 0.5 2024-02-23 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1fb326f8-2a90-4cd6-b65b-3d3a4964d3dd/Giants+Country+2022+Review+Portfolio+Site.jpg FanNation/Giants Country (SI.com) - Ways New York Giants Took Step Forward in 2022 - As cliche as it may sound, no franchise in the NFL should be as thankful for the difference a year can make than that of the New York Football Giants. One season ago, as the team stepped off the losing-ridden field at MetLife Stadium with a 4-13 record and eighth losing campaign in the last decade, all that could be remembered were the low moments that characterized the fragile state of the organization. ….. The famine that was getting points on the board, the return of the familiar injury bug that took out big players on both sides of the ball, and at the top, the questionable play calling, including the infamous quarterback sneak on third down from inside the 5-yard line in the season finale. Yet, with the swift change of regimes and a 9-7-1 record a year later, there suddenly was a renewed energy and culture within the franchise that took it to heights nobody imagined possible in the first year of a rebuild. Despite playing with house money the entire way, Joe Schoen and head coach Brian Daboll had the Giants winning football games at a record pace and against some of the more talented rosters throughout the entire league. Their fast start saw numerous pieces break countless personal, organizational, and NFL-wide records in that span, and it was even enough to push them into their first postseason appearance since 2011. Their first playoff victory since the team last hoisted the Lombardi trophy back in Super Bowl 46. .… Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/fannationgiants-country-sicom/giants-rookie-wr-wandale-robinson-ready-to-quiet-critics-about-his-size monthly 0.5 2023-08-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1771642a-a1dc-41e1-b756-04d1587a4d42/Giants+Wan%27Dale+Robinson+Transcript+2002+2.jpg FanNation/Giants Country (SI.com) - Giants Rookie WR Wan’Dale Robinson Ready to Quiet Critics About His Size - On Day 1 of the 2022 NFL Draft, the Giants did what many thought they would do given their selections of edge Kayvon Thibodeaux and offensive tackle Evan Neal, two blue-chip players who fill big needs on the roster. The start of Day 2 was quite a different story. With the No. 36 pick--a pick largely anticipated to be one of a cornerback, safety, or linebacker--the Giants traded down two spots with the Jets to No. 38th while picking up an additional fifth-round pick. Not long after, the Giants traded down again, this time with the Falcons, to acquire the 43rd and 114th overall picks, the former of which became Kentucky wide receiver Wan’Dale Robinson. The selection of Robinson was a curious one given the Giants perceived needs and the timing of that pick. Projected to go in the fourth or fifth round by NFL.com's Chad Reuter, many people immediately opined that the selection was a reach by new general manager Joe Schoen. The Giants feel otherwise about the 5-foot-8, 178-pound Robinson. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/fannationgiants-country-sicom/stephen-lebitschs-7round-new-york-giants-only-mock-draft monthly 0.5 2023-08-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/19bd9d20-f712-4cc4-a108-7826b66c11f0/New+York+Giants+Mock+Draft+Articles+Image.jpg FanNation/Giants Country (SI.com) - Stephen Lebitsch’s 7-Round New York Giants Only Mock Draft - In the weeks leading up to the 2022 NFL Draft in Las Vegas, the entire Giants Country team contributed to a series where each writer developed their own Giants-only mock draft for the team’s upcoming selections. This was my first time running such an article and turned out to be one of the most fun projects I’ve completed for the site. I ran it on Pro Football Focus’s mock draft simulator and was quite pleased with the results, including nailing the Giants’ selection of offensive tackle Evan Neal in the first round. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/fannationgiants-country-sicom/giants-2022-ufa-primer-fb-eli-penny monthly 0.5 2022-03-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1646597805792-UGRWS0PTJVQ6WGZFPULY/Giants+Country+UFA+Primer+Eli+Penny.jpg FanNation/Giants Country (SI.com) - Giants 2022 UFA Primer: FB Eli Penny - On September 19, 2018, the New York Giants signed Elijhaa Penny off of the Arizona Cardinals' practice squad. Penny went undrafted in 2016 but was picked up by Arizona a month after the draft, where he then spent the entirety of his rookie season on the team’s practice squad. In 2017, he joined the active roster and played in 16 games, tallying 31 rushes for 124 yards and two touchdowns. He also picked up 38 yards from the air during that time. Joining the Giants in 2018, Penny has been the starting fullback for a few different offensive systems. His first season as a Giant saw him compile seven carries for 25 yards and eight receptions for 50 yards. At the end of four seasons with the Giants, Penny totaled 50 carries for 168 yards and a touchdown to go along with 16 receptions for 88 yards. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/fannationgiants-country-sicom/giants-2022-ufa-primer-qb-mike-glennon monthly 0.5 2022-03-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1646597535254-HP4KIGHSEHO4ZF6F4I8S/Giants+Country+UFA+Primer+Mike+Glennon.jpg FanNation/Giants Country (SI.com) - Giants 2022 UFA Primer: QB Mike Glennon - One of the NFL’s classic journeymen players, Mike Glennon—the former 2013 third-round pick of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers—has spent most of his nine-year career as a backup for several organizations. The quarterback has had brief stints with Chicago, Arizona, Oakland, and Jacksonville, four of which ended after just one season. After departing the Jaguars with a 1-15 overall record in 2020, the veteran Glennon arrived in East Rutherford last spring for what would be his sixth NFL franchise. On March 19, 2021, the New York Giants signed Glennon to a one-year, $1.35 million contract, part of their slew of signings in the offseason by then-general manager Dave Gettleman. Entering his ninth NFL season, Glennon had compiled 599 completions, 6,235 yards, 43 touchdowns, and 25 touchdowns. He also came off a season where his completion percentage touched 62%, but his QBR was an abysmal 29.8, the third-lowest of his career. Glennon began his time with the Giants as a backup to Daniel Jones, getting his first taste of action in Week 5 against the Dallas Cowboys after Jones left with a concussion. He went back to the bench for several games before he got his first start as a Giant in Week 13 in relief of Jones as the quarterback went back to the injury report with an eventual-season ending neck injury. Glennon played in the last five games of the season, leading a struggling Giants offense to some of their worst numbers in recent history and an 0-5 tailspin to wrap the 2021 season at 4-13 overall. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/fannationgiants-country-sicom/giants-2022-ufa-primer-dl-austin-johnson monthly 0.5 2022-03-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1646574235582-YY9T3NCVP2WBGG4ECWE1/Giants+Country+UFA+Primer+Austin+Johnson.jpg FanNation/Giants Country (SI.com) - Giants 2022 UFA Primer: DL Austin Johnson - Defensive tackle Austin Johnson was signed to a one-year deal by the New York Giants on March 30, 2020, after he departed from the Tennessee Titans in free agency. Johnson spent his first four NFL seasons with the Titans, who drafted him in the second round (43rd overall) of the 2016 Draft. In that span, he played in 58 regular-season games (13 starts) and five postseason games (one start), meaning he came to the Giants with valuable experience as a defensive lineman. In his first season with New York as a defensive reserve, Johnson’s numbers were lighter than his previous three years, with Tennessee notching 18 total tackles (eight solos), one sack, and one forced fumble. He followed up that debut with an increased role in the defense and a career-best season in year two. Johnson leaves the 2021 season holding a combined 90 tackles, 4.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and one recovery in the two years. In March 2021, a year after his first deal, the Giants re-signed Johnson to another one-year contract for this past season. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/fannationgiants-country-sicom/giants-2022-ufa-primer-te-evan-engram monthly 0.5 2022-03-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1646573907441-DLZB78INZIQPU8R7V4Y3/Giants+Country+UFA+Primer+Evan+Engram.jpg FanNation/Giants Country (SI.com) - Giants 2022 UFA Primer: TE Evan Engram - Evan Engram was a member of the New York Giants 2017 draft class—the last group picked by former general manager Jerry Reese before being fired during that season. A player named to multiple All-SEC teams and an All-American distinction in 2016, Engram, the No. 23 overall pick in that 2017 draft, spent four years at Ole Miss, in which he amassed 162 catches, 2,320 yards, and 15 touchdowns. After joining the Giants, the hope was that Engram would upgrade an area of the team’s roster that was awful the previous year and had accumulated only three touchdowns. Then-head coach Ben McAdoo named Engram the starting tight end soon after camp, and he’s held the position ever since. …. Despite his numbers, Engram has been prone to drawing the ire of Giants fans for his critical mistakes at times. In the 2020 season, in a Week 7 game against the Eagles, Engram became a poster child for criticism when he dropped a big pass from Daniel Jones on a third-down pass well into Eagles territory with just over two minutes left in regulation. The Giants had a 21-16 lead, and they proceeded to punt and eventually lose 22-21. Earlier that year, the Giants picked up Engram’s fifth-year option, worth $6.013 million for the 2021 season. After another pedestrian season in 2021, they now face the decision of whether to re-sign the athletic tight end or let him walk away. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/fannationgiants-country-sicom/giants-2022-ufa-primer-s-jabrill-peppers monthly 0.5 2022-03-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1646538255259-RNHQT0SC0E2MQKHC7F2H/Giants+Country+UFAPrimer+Jabrill+Peppers.jpg FanNation/Giants Country (SI.com) - Giants 2022 UFA Primer: S Jabrill Peppers - Jabrill Peppers arrived at the Giants facility in March 2019 as part of the trade with the Cleveland Browns that saw star wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr shipped out to the mid-west. Drafted by the Browns late in the first round of the 2017 draft, Peppers was sent along with Cleveland's first- and third-round picks in 2019 in what then-general manager Dave Gettleman considered a bargain. A native of East Orange, New Jersey, Peppers has taken advantage of the opportunity to represent his hometown city and has provided a spark to the Giants secondary over the past few seasons. Not only has he brought energy and leadership to the defense, but the former Michigan Wolverine has also compiled serviceable numbers during his time with the unit as well. Peppers has accumulated 196 total tackles, 3.5 sacks, forced four fumbles, and two interceptions through three seasons with the Giants. He also has one touchdown to his name, which he returned off an interception for 32 yards during the 2019 season. …. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/fannationgiants-country-sicom/giants-2022-ufa-primer-db-keion-crossen monthly 0.5 2022-03-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1646537708921-8B3X4TB4UN5VK91GV437/Giants+Country+UFA+Primer+Keion+Crossen.jpg FanNation/Giants Country (SI.com) - Giants 2022 UFA Primer: DB Keion Crossen - Keion Crossen became a member of the Giants secondary this past summer after coming over in a trade with the Houston Texans. The Giants acquired the former 2018 seventh-round pick for a 2023 sixth-round pick. Before coming to New York, Crossen spent a combined three years in New England and Houston, the former team drafting him with the 243rd pick in 2018. Crossen was a member of the Patriots team that went 13-3 and reached the Super Bowl, where they left victorious over the Los Angeles Rams. Crossen wasn't much of a factor in the Giants ' defensive performances despite these things impacting the depth charts during his first go-around with the team. He finished the 2021 season with 13 total tackles (eight solos)--tied for ninth lowest among Giants defensive players for that category–one sack, one forced one fumble, and one fumble recovery. Where his defensive numbers lacked, Crossen made up for it with his special teams contributions, tallying most of his stats in that unit. An offseason series “NYG Free Agency: Making the Case…” that I started in early February for “Giants Country”. In this project for the site, I’m taking the Giants pending unrestricted free agents—like Keion Crossen—and deciphering whether the team should re-sign or find a replacement for the player(s). Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/fannationgiants-country-sicom/unveiling-the-most-telling-numbers-of-another-lost-new-york-giants-season monthly 0.5 2022-03-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1646536316589-64S6JUKNYG3B372DQOOZ/New+York+Giants+2021+Season+BTN+and+Trends.jpg FanNation/Giants Country (SI.com) - Unveiling the Most Telling Numbers of Another Lost New York Giants Season - In the hours immediately following the team’s underwhelming 22-7 loss to the Washington Football Team in the season finale, all eyes shifted towards Giants ownership–John Mara and Steve Tisch–to see what moves the pair would make to the general manager and head coaching spots in the wake of another lost season. As was primarily anticipated, general manager Dave Gettleman retired on Monday after four years with the organization. The 70-year-old concludes a 22-year career as an NFL front office executive and leaves the Giants with a 19-46 overall record since joining them in 2017. Then after much deliberation, Mara and Tisch’s gavel came down on head coach Joe Judge the next day, a somewhat stunning change of plans considering the growing whispers that Judge would likely get a third season. Now the Giants’ focus turns towards finding the next candidates for the two positions and rebuilding the team for the future. Interviews are already underway for the new general manager, who, once hired, will lead the search for the next head coach. As we await what the future of the Giants organization looks like, let's take one last look back at 2021 at how the Giants ended up with a 4-13 season that came crashing off the rails in light of many injuries, staff turnover, and one of the worst offenses in the modern NFL. My end-of-season analysis on the numbers and trends that defined the New York Giants’ disastrous 2021 season, for “Giants Country. I touched on the offense, defense, quarterback play, and more. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/fannationgiants-country-sicom/giantswashington-football-team-season-finale-by-the-numbers monthly 0.5 2022-03-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1646535289269-WHENLMPP333SXC8ULEJT/Giants+Washington+BTN+SI.jpg FanNation/Giants Country (SI.com) - Giants-Washington Football Team Season Finale: By the Numbers - Even the darkest and most terrifying horror movies tend to have one recurring theme: At the conclusion, the characters involved survive that which is troubling them and find the light at the end of the tunnel where they can move on with their lives. For the New York Giants and their exhausted and frustrated fanbase, both parties can now breathe a collective sigh of relief that the 2021 season–Big Blue’s latest display of mortifying football–has come to an end. Playing in a cold and mostly barren MetLife Stadium Sunday for their 2021 regular-season finale, the Giants gave the remnants of their once-proud fanbase one last miserable offensive performance. There were questionable coaching decisions, turnovers, and an apparent lack of effort by individual players at certain points of the contest, all culminating in a measly 177 yards of total offense and a humiliating 22-7 loss to the Washington Football Team. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/fannationgiants-country-sicom/giants-qb-jake-fromm-remains-optimistic-despite-awful-debut-showing monthly 0.5 2022-03-06 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1646533564628-N660GP0HJE1GZQI84U0C/Giants+Country+Jake+Fromm.jpg FanNation/Giants Country (SI.com) - Giants QB Jake Fromm Remains Optimistic Despite Awful Debut Showing - ust last week, Giants quarterback Jake Fromm could feel the confidence oozing from his pores as he prepared for his first career NFL start against the Philadelphia Eagles. Called up to the huddle in relief of backup quarterback Mike Glennon, who had been struggling to replace starter Daniel Jones, the young quarterback fresh off the Buffalo Bills’ practice squad said he was “amped up and ready to go” for the opportunity in front of him. However, as under forty minutes in the City of Brotherly Love soon revealed, things did not exactly turn out the way Fromm envisioned they would. Playing in his first starting minutes since he was a senior at the University of Georgia, Fromm completed only 6 of 17 throws for 25 yards, one interception, and a 19.4 overall passer rating in the Giants 34-10 loss to the rival Eagles …. It was a rough “Welcome to the NFL” for Fromm but still one he knows he’s capable of putting behind him. With the Giants officially setting their sights on their next opponent in the Chicago Bears (5-10), right behind them is Fromm, who is eager to wipe the slate clean. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/fannationgiants-country-sicom/new-york-giants-week-15-by-the-numbers monthly 0.5 2022-03-05 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1646500576210-LC28YLS4L9DNBWAI7QQ9/Cowboys+Giants+BTN+SI.jpg FanNation/Giants Country (SI.com) - New York Giants Week 15: By the Numbers - Fifteen weeks into the latest terrible season by the New York Giants, what was once disappointment and a promise to get better with each passing postgame press conference has become full-blown frustration from top to bottom of the organization. There was frustration building from the moment the Giants took the field Sunday, exiting the tunnel to a MetLife Stadium outnumbered by Dallas Cowboys fans which one sportswriter cleverly referred to as “AT&T Stadium East.” As the Giants proceeded to fail at accomplishing any small feat against their divisional rival, tempers boiled over and led to repetitive skirmishes between the two sides, the one piece of action that gave Giants fans something to cheer about . ….. In the end, the best the Giants could manage was two field goals by Graham Gano. New York recorded their fifth straight double-digit losing season as they fell miserably to the Cowboys 21-6. Dak Prescott, whose career record against New York improved to 9-3, completed 28-of-37 passes for 217 yards and a touchdown to lead his team closer to a playoff berth and an NFC East division title. Excerpt from my weekly gameday analysis of the New York Giants for “Giants Country”, this time parsing through the numbers that told the tale of New York’s loss to the Dallas Cowboys in Week 15 of the 2021 season. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/fannationgiants-country-sicom/examining-the-different-fourth-down-philosophies-of-giants-chargers monthly 0.5 2021-12-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1639276873197-UJ7OY4EWX4VIVA2XPYYO/Giants+Chargers+4th+Down+Coaches+Piece+SIGC.jfif FanNation/Giants Country (SI.com) - Examining the Different Fourth Down Philosophies of Giants, Chargers - Overall, the Giants have incorporated a relatively conservative approach to handling fourth-down plays this season. They’ve greatly favored taking the space they have downfield and utilizing their special teams unit, with weapons like punter Riley Dixon, to pin the opposition deep in their own territory and force the long drive. That trend continued Sunday on 4th down and two at Miami’s 46-yard line, where the Giants offense stalled after three plays and had a dilemma of whether to go for it down 10-6 and extend a possible scoring drive. As you could have guessed, Judge decided to have Dixon punt for the fourth time and send back out his defense, much to the ire of the media and fans watching. Part of this can be attributed to the Giants’ offense having issues with depth at the skilled positions due to injuries. Yet for Judge, it simply was about playing the field game and trusting the defense to give them the ball back. While there was no indication from Judge that the Giants will change up their fourth down ideology moving forward, it makes for an interesting comparison as they prepare for their Week 14 matchup on the West Coast. This weekend, the Giants will face a Los Angeles Chargers team (7-5) that not only boasts one of the top passing offenses in the league but whose head coach carries quite a different philosophy when it comes to going for it on fourth down. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/fannationgiants-country-sicom/giants-dolphins-week-13-by-the-numbers monthly 0.5 2021-12-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/e9aa4f36-c95b-4ee9-b9d9-4c3e7ceb25be/Giants+Dolphins+By+the+Numbers+SIGC.jfif FanNation/Giants Country (SI.com) - Giants- Dolphins Week 13: By The Numbers - The New York Giants thought they had left the worst of their offense behind them in Tampa Bay on Nov. 22 following the crushing primetime defeat and the subsequent dismissal of offensive coordinator Jason Garrett. As it turns out, the anemic group was just getting their misery train started as the second half of the season began. This week, heading down to South Florida for an inter-conference matchup with the Miami Dolphins, the Giants continued their red zone scoring famine while giving up two touchdowns on the other end as part of a 20-9 loss. That loss dropped them to 4-8 on the season and put another dent in their already slim chance at grabbing the final playoff spot in the NFC. Dolphins quarterback Tua Tagovailoa continued his streak of quality performances dating back to Week 11 by completing 30 passes for 244 yards and two touchdowns. Giants quarterback Mike Glennon, in for the injured Daniel Jones, went 23-of-44 for 187 yards and an interception. The veteran gunslinger was sacked three times for 28 yards and was under duress 15 times thanks to another bout of miserable protection by the offensive line. With five games left on the 2021 schedule and Jones's status uncertain due to a neck injury, the only question left to ponder is whether things will get worse for the Giants as massive offseason change is growing completely inevitable. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/fannationgiants-country-sicom/giants-13-eagles-7-by-the-numbers monthly 0.5 2021-12-12 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1639274457229-Y2KZ180U4MVJ7W9KQRSE/Giants+Eagles+By+The+Numbers+SIGC.jfif FanNation/Giants Country (SI.com) - Giants 13, Eagles 7: By the Numbers - Back at MetLife Stadium Sunday for Week 12, with the team retiring the jersey of Hall of Fame defensive end Michael Strahan, one of the franchise’s defensive greats, the modern-day defense had the answers for Jalen Hurts and the reeling Philadelphia Eagles’ offense. Rising to intercept Hurts three times, including once at the goal line, and holding his offense scoreless through the first three quarters, the Giants defense powered Big Blue to another hard-fought victory in a low-scoring affair, 13-7, over the division rival Eagles. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/fannationgiants-country-sicom/new-york-giants-week-11-by-the-numbers monthly 0.5 2021-11-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1638024031733-Z7D0AL6U5XWS7DUW7M8X/Giants+Bucs+Si+By+the+Numbers+Postgame+Image.jfif FanNation/Giants Country (SI.com) - New York Giants Week 11: By the Numbers - It was all smoke and mirrors. No, Tom Brady and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers didn’t do anything super special or innovative to out scheme the New York Giants despite Brady’s resume of being a football mastermind. There may have been a few well-schemed plays here or there, but the Bucs offense came out and took what they could get from a lousy Giants defense that failed to carry over their dominance from the previous game two weeks ago. Scoring on three of their first four possessions, the Bucs recovered from their two-game skid and handled the lowly Giants 30-10 on Monday Night Football. As for those Giants, they spent the entire fifteen days of their bye getting everyone excited for the return of multiple key offensive weapons as the second half of the season drew near. In the end, the revived offense looked worse than they were two weeks ago when they were less healthy, and the Giants fell to 3-7, with their slim playoff chances fading into the night. Here are the numbers and stats that contributed to the Giants' loss. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/fannationgiants-country-sicom/giants-aim-to-top-bucs-on-monday-night-football-preview monthly 0.5 2021-11-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1638023564214-DJWX9RHN8OKE005FWIRV/Giants+Bucs+SI+GC+Week+11+Preview+Image.jfif FanNation/Giants Country (SI.com) - Giants Aim to Top Bucs on Monday Night Football | Preview - As the Giants visit Tampa for a Week 11 face-off on Monday Night Football, there is excitement brewing within the team’s locker room once again. In 2019, Giants quarterback Daniel Jones entered Raymond James Stadium for the first start of his rookie season. In that game, Jones completed 23 passes for 336 yards and two touchdowns to go along with two rushing touchdowns in a 32-31 comeback win. Last season, the Buccaneers came to MetLife Stadium flaunting their new quarterback, Tom Brady. The then six-time Super Bowl champion had his work cut out for three quarters, competing against a 12th ranked Giants defense. In the end, nothing could stop the classic fourth-quarter game-winning drives from Brady, and the Bucs narrowed out a 25-23 victory. Now the Giants (3-6) return to Raymond James to play the defending Super Bowl champions, who boast the third-ranked offense behind Brady with an average of 416 yards of total offense per game. My first game preview writing opportunity with SI and Giants Country came in Week 11 of the 2021 NFL season, with the New York Giants set to return from their bye fresh off a win to meet the defending champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The piece mentions recent meetings between the two team, a major storyline approaching the game, and the Three Keys to a Giants Win on Monday Night. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/fannationgiants-country-sicom/httpswwwsicomnflgiantsgamedaygiantswinoverraidersbythenumbers monthly 0.5 2021-11-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1638023219700-MZ8T11DFMENXQ3XIAR1R/Giants-Raiders-Xavier-McKinney+SI+By+the+Numbers+Image.jpg FanNation/Giants Country (SI.com) - Giants Win Over Raiders: By the Numbers - When the New York Giants returned home following their crushing 20-17 loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Monday Night Football, they barely had time to process what went wrong and establish a plan for the upcoming week before the latest round of obstacles--a series of false-positive COVID-19 tests--befell them. But the Giants, who have shown they can be resilient when they want to, rose to the occasion. Despite being unsure as to what players they might have available, they found a way to outlast the Las Vegas Raiders Sunday. The Giants recorded a 23-16 win that improved their record in games played before the bye to 22-11, fifth-best in the NFL. Let's look back at some of the notable numbers from Sunday's big Giants' win. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/fannationgiants-country-sicom/nfl/giants/gameday/new-york-giants-week-8-postgame-notebook monthly 0.5 2021-11-27 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/6173174a-1b49-4392-a8ea-4d77c1c8c0a7/Giants+Chiefs+SI+Notebook+Image.jfif FanNation/Giants Country (SI.com) - New York Giants Week 8 Postgame Notebook - Through nearly 59 minutes of competition, the New York Giants had the tens of thousands roaring at Arrowhead Stadium sweating for fear of suffering another inexplicable loss in what has been an uncharacteristic season for the Kansas City Chiefs. Then in the final minute of regulation, with a tie ballgame on the scoreboard, Chiefs kicker Harrison Butker capitalized from 34-yards out after another Giants defensive mishap-turned-untimely penalty to put the Chiefs on top permanently and send Big Blue home with a crushing defeat. The win propelled the Chiefs back into the thick of their AFC West division race at 4-4, while the Giants loss dropped them to 2-6 on the season right before the NFL hits their trade deadline on Tuesday afternoon. As we wait to see whether the Giants sell or hold before today's trade deadline, these are some important notes from their defeat that was so close to being a shocking upset. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/fannationgiants-country-sicom/nfl/giants/news/giants-thomas-mcgaughey-on-returner-plans monthly 0.5 2021-10-31 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1635638348445-83REPVV1WOX9NRJVIIIR/Giants+Jabrill+Peppers+SI.jpg FanNation/Giants Country (SI.com) - Giants Special Teams Coordinator Thomas McGaughey on What's Next for Returner Plans - Season-ending injuries have now cost the Giants kickoff returner C.J. Board and punt returner Jabrill Peppers. Who are some of the names the team is looking at for these essential roles? “The guys that have played in the game," McGaughey said when asked who were the next men up. "We’ve got (Wide Receiver) Dante (Pettis), we’ve got (Cornerback) Darnay (Holmes), (Wide Receiver) John Ross, we’ve got some guys. We’re not completely dead yet.” The injury bug currently ripping through the Giants has shown little mercy, costing the Giants 96 man-games lost, making New York the third-most injured team behind the Titans (109) and Ravens (103) in terms of man-games lost. While offensive coordinator Jason Garrett and defensive coordinator Patrick Graham have scrambled to adjust to injuries, special teams coordinator Thomas McGaughey has had to get involved with making adjustments to his units as well. My piece for SI.com and Giants Country reveals the Giants plans per STC Thomas McGaughey and breaks down the numbers for their potential candidates at kickoff and punt returner. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/fannationgiants-country-sicom/nfl/giants/gameday/five-numbers-that-mattered-most-in-new-york-giants-win-over-carolina monthly 0.5 2021-10-26 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1635219078856-C5KZ11CVY68R7G5JHUHD/Giants+Country+NYG+CAR+Numbers.jpg FanNation/Giants Country (SI.com) - Five Numbers That Mattered Most in New York Giants' Win Over Carolina - Coming off two consecutive embarrassing losses where the team looked lifeless, the New York Giants couldn’t have asked for a more perfect opponent to face to earn some momentum before the toughest stretch of their 2021 season begins. Welcoming the struggling Carolina Panthers and one-time New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold to his former home, the Giants and Panthers engaged in one of the oddest first-half scoring outputs by two professional football teams in recent memory. Following the halftime break, however, the defense reintroduced Darnold to his former MetLife ghosts while the offense capitalized with 23 unanswered points, earning the Giants their second win of the season. There were a lot of numbers this week that contributed to the Giants' big (and much needed) win, but here are five in particular that jump out as being primary contributors in the Giants' 25-3 victory over the Panthers. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/fannationgiants-country-sicom/nfl/giants/gameday/new-york-giants-week-6-notebook monthly 0.5 2021-10-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1634950176921-I8BJWUE63DPOGSJ32UUW/Giants+Rams+Notebook+Giants+Country+SI.jpg FanNation/Giants Country (SI.com) - New York Giants Week 6 Notebook - On Sunday, the stars were out in abundance at MetLife Stadium, gathered together for what was another honorary weekend for the Giants’ organization in their 2021 calendar. On the field, however, the brighter ones hailed from 3,000 miles away, while the greats of the home franchise and the fans were left recollecting the history books for memories of success amid present disaster. Daniel Jones threw three interceptions, fumbled once, and the Rams scored four touchdowns in the second quarter as Los Angeles routed the New York Giants, 38-11, to send Big Blue to a disastrous 1-5 record. The Rams offense got off to a slow start in the first quarter, but once they found their groove against a struggling defense, there was little opportunity for the Giants banged-up offense to counteract 365 yards of total offense. My Week 6 Giants Notebook for Giants Country, summarizing the key takeaways from a horrific 38-11 loss to the Los Angeles Rams at MetLife Stadium, on the afternoon that the franchise honored their 2011 Super Bowl team for the 10-year anniversary of their championship season. Matthew Stafford’s performance, Daniel Jones’s return from concussion protocol and to turnover woes, and more. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/fannationgiants-country-sicom/nfl/giants/news/giants-wr-kadarius-toneys-impact-finally-being-felt-by-offense monthly 0.5 2021-10-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1634947979604-DA3QEZ36I2TSK5YCDNBG/NY+Giants+Kadarius+Toney.jpg FanNation/Giants Country (SI.com) - Giants WR Kadarius Toney's Impact Finally Being Felt by Offense - When the New York Giants began what has already been an arduous 2021 season, many were left asking who--and where--is receiver Kadarius Toney? Toney, the Giants' first-round draft pick this year out of Florida who went 20th overall, appealed to the Giants for many reasons, including his speed and playmaking ability in the open field, which was displayed through his usage as a kick returner in college. Yet, through the training camp and the first three games of the regular season, none of that was a factor for a Giants team that started 0-3 for the third time in five years. A large part of that was Toney's availability. The 22-year-old began training camp on the reserve/COVID-19 list and would later strain his hamstring as he tried to ramp back up, so his practice snaps were limited. But good things came to those who waited. In Week 4 against a strong Saints defense, Toney caught six of nine passes for 78 yards. Last week against Dallas in an important divisional matchup, Toney became the face of the Giants’ offense amid a series of in-game injuries to numerous stars, and his talent emerged on full display. Read the entire piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/fannationgiants-country-sicom/nfl/giants/gameday/new-york-giants-week-5-notebook-key-storylines-from-44-20-loss-to-cowboys monthly 0.5 2021-10-22 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/1634924982980-SHMJ7YZPF4XZDJGDGHJ4/Mike+Glennon+NY+Giants+%28SI%29.jpg FanNation/Giants Country (SI.com) - New York Giants Week 5 Notebook: Key Storylines from 44-20 Loss to Cowboys - The New York Giants knew they had to double down on their inspiring performance against the New Orleans Saints last Sunday if they wanted to leave AT&T Stadium with an upset victory against a thriving Dallas Cowboys team. What they didn’t expect was for the game to completely unravel before their eyes in a handful of plays that saw their most valuable offensive players go down with injuries. Along with losing 44-20 in brutal fashion in the late game window Sunday, the Giants suffered devastating blows to their depth chart, as three offensive starters--quarterback Daniel Jones, running back Saquon Barkley, and receiver Kenny Golladay--left the game with injuries. My inaugural piece for the FanNation (SI.com) publisher, Giants Country. As part of their gameday coverage, I broke down the Giants and Cowboys takeaways from their divisional contest, a disastrous one at most for the Giants with injury woes plaguing them a year after they did the Cowboys. Read my full piece here https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/fansidedempire-writes-back daily 0.75 2024-08-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/32f50cf2-8c41-4cc1-8b06-bf7265fcacf4/Empire+Writes+Back+FanSided+Logo.png FanSided/Empire Writes Back - In March 2024, I joined the contributing staff at FanSided.com, specifically to serve as a writer for the network’s regional, New York sports site, Empire Writes Back. Bringing my extensive knowledge of several teams within the local market, I help cover the latest news, stories and drive fan-focused editorial content to the NFL and NBA team verticals. Through the first six months, I have authored numerous columns and op-ed style pieces, reported on the latest news and rumors percolating in the media, and attracted upwards of 20k unique views on some of my top publications. FanSided is home to some of the youngest, yet most ambitious and passionate journalists out there who are looking for their first dip into the digital media landscape, and I am looking forward to producing more engaging content and building my personal brand through contributing to one of the fastest growing outlets in sports. Check out the entirety of my byline and the other content on EWB’s site: Stephen Lebitsch (empirewritesback.com) https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/fansidedempire-writes-back/posts/making-the-honest-case-for-eli-manning-as-a-hall-of-famer-01j4yt2k95dh monthly 0.5 2024-08-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/0d464b20-e3d2-48d7-a189-eb69b9412ca9/FanSided+EWB+Eli+Manning+HOF+Case+Article+Cover+Image.jpg FanSided/Empire Writes Back - Making the Honest Case for Eli Manning as a Hall of Famer - The big debate in the week following the 2024 Pro Football Hall of Fame induction is whether 2025 candidate Eli Manning belongs in the company of football's greatest in Canton. It’s been one week since the 2024 celebration for the latest inductees into the Pro Football Hall of Fame and before the newest representatives of football greatness can barely walk off the stage in Canton, Ohio, a debate has resurfaced involving one of the next legends with his eyes set on the game’s distinguished ballot. One that, for someone who grew up witnessing the rare and distinct performances put forth by the individual, is utterly distasteful and ignorant. …. However, I am not giving this take as a fan, but purely as an appreciator of what makes the greatest names in football who they are. The big stats and the rings certainly matter, as do the other tangible accolades, but it’s more so the narratives they write and the obstacles they overcome that create the script to a player’s bust revealing on a steamy summer afternoon in early August. My August 10th column for Empire Writes Back, tryna to quell the debate on whether Eli Manning belongs in the Pro Football Hall of Fame when his candidacy opens up in 2025. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/fansidedempire-writes-back/posts/giants-wideout-makes-bold-statement-2024-season-01j30sh9mjqf monthly 0.5 2024-08-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/dc02ed23-71d8-42ca-b966-c9f19d937b30/FanSided+EWB+Jalin+Hyatt+Transcript+Story+24.jpg FanSided/Empire Writes Back - Giants Wideout Makes Bold Statement for 2024 Season - “Year one for this Giants wide receiver wasn’t so statistically impressive, but he’s boldly speaking about what is to come for his position group in 2024.” Coming off the heels of a disappointing rookie campaign, Jalin Hyatt’s first full NFL offseason has inherited a trifold purpose–giving back to the local community, setting lofty goals for himself and being the official spokesman for the New York Giants’ much improved wide receivers room. On Monday afternoon at a charity event appearance in Midtown, the Giants wide receiver opened up about his fruitless scoring efforts while serving lunch to children from the Boys and Girls Club Madison Square Chapter. With his second training camp just one week away, Hyatt said he is hungry to break the longest drought of his football player and has a steadfast timeline for doing so. “Week 1,” Hyatt said to the New York Post’s Ryan Dunleavy. “I’m hungry. I’ve never had a season in my life of not scoring a touchdown. That stays with me. That will probably stay with me for the rest of my life. I’ll be ready.” Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/fansidedempire-writes-back/posts/biggest-takeaways-from-the-knicks-overachieving-2023-season-01hydcsbykbe monthly 0.5 2024-08-16 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/e93cf7a3-1704-495d-8893-18a73c16de2f/FanSided+EWB+Knicks+Biggest+Takeaways+2023-24+Season.jpg FanSided/Empire Writes Back - Biggest Takeaways from the Knicks’ Overachieving 2023 Season - “The New York Knicks injury woes finally caught up with them and put a cap on their season with a loss in Game 7 vs Indiana., but there is still much to take away from the incredible year.” The basketball world loves to say that the two words “Game 7” are the most compelling duo in sports, but for the New York Knicks it has once again left a negative connotation in the dark canals of their storied history. Exactly 24 years after one of their most glorious playoff runs of the late 90’s ended in a similar fashion, the Knicks found themselves repeating history in a Game 7 dance with the Indiana Pacers at Madison Square Garden. Two decades later, banged up and burnt out amid injuries, the spotlight was not on their side and the result was a 130-109 routing to send Indiana to the Eastern Conference Finals and New York packing for the offseason. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/fansidedempire-writes-back/posts/reports-emerge-on-potential-jalen-brunson-max-contract-extension-01hv9x4dck4z monthly 0.5 2024-08-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/c9bdc656-3c6b-45a0-9ec6-367fdd337a2f/FanSided+EWB+Jalen+Brunson+Extensions+News+Article+Image.jpg FanSided/Empire Writes Back - Reports Emerge on Potential Jalen Brunson Max Contract Extension - “Knicks point guard Jalen Brunson may have his mind focused on the impending run to the NBA Finals, but the franchise is reportedly gearing up for a big negotiation this offseason.” The New York Knicks will aim to lock down franchise point guard Jalen Brunson with a max contract extension this summer, according to an NBA source. In the midst of his incredible run over the last month of the regular season, which includes averaging 35.1 points per game to lead New York into playoff contention in the Eastern Conference, the Knicks have seen enough to know that they have the ideal player for the next phases of their future and are ready to commit long beyond the 2023-24 season. My news article covering the reports of the New York Knicks and the impending commitment to point guard Jalen Brunson, which came to fruition later that summer. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/fansidedempire-writes-back/posts/what-is-the-knicks-worst-potential-round-1-matchup-76ers-or-heat-01hv4gsqhqg6 monthly 0.5 2024-08-15 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/68098919-88d0-43c5-b173-1fd8e40e4575/FanSided+EWB+Knicks+Best+Playoff+Opponent+Article+Photo+Tom+Thibs.jpg FanSided/Empire Writes Back - What is the Knicks' Worst Potential Round 1 Matchup: 76ers or Heat? - The Eastern Conference playoff picture can still be shaped by the final three games of the regular season. Which potential first round matchup gives the most concern for the Knicks? On the precipice of the New York Knicks 2024 postseason run, I detailed which team would be the ideal opponent for the Knickerbockers in round 1 of the Eastern Conference. Read the full piece here. https://www.stephenlebitsch.com/fansidedempire-writes-back/posts/giants-7-round-mock-draft-3-0-major-trade-shakes-things-up-01htd0cj1bnf monthly 0.5 2024-08-14 https://images.squarespace-cdn.com/content/v1/610b3c2adcdef2120baadb83/714a0e96-9171-4d68-add1-8416690c848b/FanSided+EWB+Giants+Mock+Draft+3.0.jpg FanSided/Empire Writes Back - Giants 7-Round Mock Draft 3.0: Major Trade Shakes Things Up - One of my first pieces for the FanSided network and “Empire Writes Back” was a project I had been able to do twice for my freelance work at Giants Country and Sports Illustrated—mocking the New York Giants upcoming draft as part of a weekly segment leading up the 2024 NFL Draft. In the midst of what I coined “smokescreen season”, I opened up my mock with what I believed to be a surprise trade up for the Giants, based on reports, to snag one of the four biggest quarterback names on the board. From there, filling in the general needs with the limited draft capital at their disposal. Check out my selections and analysis at the link! Read the full piece here.