The New York Giants won in convincing fashion, beating NFC East Rivals the Philadelphia Eagles 42-7. Yet they will not be heading to the playoffs because of the Chicago Bears’ victory over the Detroit Lions.

The Eagles started the game off with trickery, recovering an onside kick to gain possession. Five plays later, quarterback Michael Vick dropped back, threw the ball deep down the middle and was intercepted by Giants safety Stevie Brown. Brown’s interception was his eighth of the season.

Vick started in his first game since Week 10 because rookie quarterback Nick Foles was placed on injured reserve after suffering a hairline fracture of his hand.

Eli Manning and the Giants offense were on point early, scoring touchdowns on their first three possessions in the first quarter. Manning connected with Rueben Randle on a three yard pass to begin the scoring spree. On the following possession, Manning and Randle connected again on a 38 yard pass.

Rookie back David Wilson caught a 15 yard pass towards the end of the first quarter to give the Giants an early 21-0 lead.  Wilson finished the game with 15 carries for 75 yards.

The Eagles scored their one and only touchdown in the second quarter. Vick connected with wideout Jeremy Maclin on a seven yard pass. Vick finished the game completing 19 of 35 passes for 197 yards, one touchdown and one interception.

Ahmad Bradshaw carried the ball 16 times for 107 yards and punched in a one yard touchdown in the second quarter. This was Bradshaw’s fourth game, surpassing the 100 yard mark in a game. Seconds before the end of the first half, Manning connected with wideout Victor Cruz on a 24 yard pass to take a 35-7 lead into the half.

Fullback Henry Hynoski caught his first touchdown of the season and Eli’s fifth touchdown pass of the game in the fourth quarter to put the icing on the cake.

Manning finished the game completing 13 of 21 passes for 208 yards and five touchdowns. Manning’s 134.5 passer rating was a season best. His five touchdowns is a career best.

Both the Eagles and Giants will look to make offseason improvements with hopes of  making a playoff run next season.

Image Courtesy : Philadelphia Eagles

The article Giants Crush Eagles in Season Finale appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

When the likes of Bruce Irving, Brandon Weeden and A. J. Jenkins all went in the first round of the NFL Draft, they guaranteed that certain elite prospects would fall into the second round and become highly sought after commodities when it all kicked off again in New York for the second night of the draft.

The Indianapolis Colts surprised no one by taking Stanford tight end Coby Fleener with their first pick, giving first overall pick Andrew Luck a familiar target in his first season in Indianapolis. They took another tight end in the third round, Dwayne Allen out of Clemson, much to the ire of many other teams with this years’ draft class seemingly stretched thin at the tight end position.

After trading out of the first round, Baltimore Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome seemed to have worked his magic again, taking a legitimate first-round prospect in Courtney Upshaw and a late-first/early-second talent in Kelechi Osemele, both of whom could replace departing starters Jarret Johnson and Ben Grubbs. They also traded up in the third round to secure running back Bernard Pierce in the third, a problem position for Newsome since the retirement of Ricky Williams.

A plethora of other players who were unlucky to not make it into the first round also went early in the second round including Derek Wolfe (Denver Broncos), Andre Branch (Jacksonville Jaguars) Alshon Jeffrey (Chicago Bears) and Peter Konz (Atlanta Falcons).

The Green Bay Packers made a good job of shoring up their defense, taking both Jerel Worthy and Casey Hayward in the second round, arguably the best defensive tackle and cornerback left on the board. They will join first-round selection Nick Perry in giving Green Bay fans hope of an improved defensive performance this season.

Shorn of star cornerback Cortland Finnegan, the St Louis Rams took a big gamble on defensive back Janoris Jenkins out of North Alabama. The youngster was arguably the best corner in this years’ draft class after sixth-overall pick Morris Claiborne, but a number of off-field issues have seen his draft stock plummet since the combine.

Other picks of note included the Carolina Panthers and Buffalo Bills improving their offensive lines with the acquisitions of Amini Silatolu and Cordy Glenn respectively. The Bills will be thrilled with the selection of Glenn who very few experts had falling into the second round, let alone down to the ninth pick in the round.

The two New York-based teams were also keen to improve their offenses, but instead went for wide receivers. The Jets, keen to give Mark Sanchez viable targets, picked up Stephen Hill out of Georgia Tech, and will be hoping his large frame and electric pace are enough to help out Sanchez. He was not the only large wideout to end up in New York, with Rueben Randle going to the Giants with the last pick of the second round, giving the Giants a very formidable looking receiving corps.

Quarterbacks also played a prominent part in both rounds, with the Broncos finding their quarterback of the future, drafting Brock Osweiler who will learn under Peyton Manning for their foreseeable future, and the Seattle Seahawks erased any talk of trading for Colt McCoy when they picked up Russel Wilson in the third round to compliment current QB’s Tavaris Jackson and Matt Flynn. The Philadelphia Eagles also found a viable backup to Michael Vick in Arizona’s Nick Foles.

Image Courtesy of    Baltimore Ravens

The article NFL Draft Rounds 2 and 3 In The Books, Ravens and Packers Shine appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.

Louisiana State showed why they are ranked No. 1 in the NCAA on Saturday, beating Western Kentucky 42-9 at home to continue their undefeated record. LSU quarterback Jordan Jefferson helped move the ball downfield for scoring chances, throwing for 168 yards on eight catches, and scoring one touchdown.

Rueben Randle was the main target for Jefferson, making three catches for a total of 76 yards and one touchdown. Running back Alfred Blue was also a big part of the Tigers’ offense, gaining 119 yards on nine carries and two touchdowns. Western Kentucky put up a great fight throughout the game, with quarterback Kawaun Jakes only throwing one interception on 24 attempts that gained 97 yards.

Running back Keshawn Simpson and Bobby Rainey moved the ball downfield for the Hilltoppers, gaining 121 yards on 33 rushing attempts. LSU was the first to score ten minutes into the first quarter with a 59-yard pass from Jordan Jefferson to Rueben Randle. The Hilltoppers were able to move the ball downfield late in the first quarter to tie up the game with the help from a two-yard rushing touchdown from Keshawn Simpson.

The Tigers were the only ones to score in the second quarter, with running back Kenny Hilliard scoring a touchdown with three minutes left, giving LSU the 14-7 lead going into the second half. LSU scored yet again seven minutes into the second half, with Hilliard running in another touchdown after a progression of plays that moved 71 yards in seven plays.

The final points scored for Western Kentucky were done on a safety that happened with five minutes left in the quarter, making the score 21-9. However, LSU’s Alfred Blue ran down the middle on a 45-yard touchdown play two minutes after the safety, putting the nail in the coffin for any opportunity of the Hilltoppers coming back.

The final quarter began with Blue running in another touchdown for LSU after a series of plays that had the ball move 47 yards in five plays.  The Tigers did not stop going for more points until there were five minutes left in the game, when replacement quarterback Jarrett Lee threw a 5-yard touchdown pass to Kadron Boone which secured the victory.

No. 1 LSU (10-0) will travel to face Ole Miss next Saturday, while Western Kentucky (5-5) will travel to face the University of North Texas.

Image Courtesy of   http://www.facebook.com/geauxlsu

The article LSU Stays Undefeated After Win Against W. Kentucky appeared first on The Toonari Post - News, Powered by the People!.