12/30/07 Virginia Tech-St. John's mens basketball game story for the Newport News Daily Press

Ugly Garden party produces Tech win

Virginia Tech beats St. John’s in a game that features more turnovers than points.

By DENIS GORMAN/Correspondent

9:15 PM EST, December 29, 2007

NEW YORK--Seth Greenberg was crouched in front the Virginia Tech bench, his hands covering his face; his head turned away from Saturday's Holiday Festival championship game.

Aesthetically pleasing, it was not. There were enough turnovers and missed shots to fill a coach's video-tape library for a season. Yet the overriding element that stuck out was the effort.

With both programs mirrored the other in inexperience and athleticism, Virginia Tech and St. John's proceeded to bump each other up-and-down the court; the players conspiring to play the physical, defense-first game that New York City is renowned for.

The Hokies' 54-48 win was a brief return to Big East basketball; a league where floor burns are worn as badges of honor.

"Let's face it, the game was ugly," said Greenberg. "We just made more shots than they did. What you saw was two young teams trying to find their identity (and) we just made a couple more shots."

Greenberg was not facetious. Virginia Tech (8-5) made three more shots from the floor than did its former Big East rival St. John's (6-5). In the 12th meeting between the programs, the teams combined to shoot 33-103 (.320) from the field: The Hokies shot 18-49 (.367) while the Red Storm made 15-53 (.283).

To further illustrate how offensively deficient both teams were, consider that each team had more turnovers--20 each--than baskets.

"Give Virginia Tech a lot of credit," St. John's coach Norm Roberts said. "Give them credit: They defended well and are extremely long. Give them a lot of credit. It was an ugly, hard-fought game.

"Let's not forget that Virginia Tech is a great team. They blocked some shots in the second half and (they) went to their veteran guys and took advantage."

The only difference between the two young programs, as Roberts noted, was the veteran play of senior forward Deron Washington and junior forward A.D. Vassallo. Vassallo led all scorers with 16 points and grabbed seven rebounds -- five offensive -- in 32 minutes.

Washington played St. John's junior forward Anthony Mason Jr. to a virtual standstill. Assigned to shadow the Red Storm's star, Washington held Mason to 12 points--eight of which were scored in the first half. Washington added 10 points and eight rebounds for good measure.

"He was playing defense," was Mason Jr.'s rather morose analysis of Washington's play.

"Deron Washington is one of the best defenders in the ACC," said Roberts. "He made it hard on Mason."

Trailing 22-21 at the start of the second half, the Hokies turned up the defensive pressure and held St. John's without a basket until the 9:12 mark.

"I joked at the half, 'First to 40 wins,' " said Greenberg. "I was wrong. First to 50 wins."

He then turned serious, talking about the history of the Festival and how important it was for the Hokies, in their tournament debut, to win it, especially with legendary coach Lou Carnesecca in attendance.

"I am really proud of our team," said Greenberg.

Vassallo won the Lou Carnesecca Award as the Festival's Most Valuable Player. Jeff Allen and Deron Washington made the all-tournament team, along with Mason Jr., Hofstra guard Charles Jenkins and Marist guard Louie McCroskey.

Marist won the consolation game, 73-67, over Hofstra.

Copyright © 2007, Newport News, Va., Daily Press

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12/29/07 Virginia Tech-Hofstra Pride men's basketball gamer for the Newport News Daily Press

Tech rebounds nicely

After a frustrating loss at Wake Forest, the Hokies roll past Hofstra, which was playing without its leading scorer.

By Denis Gorman/Correspondent

Daily Press

10:39 PM EST, December 28, 2007

NEW YORK--The seconds were ticking off the clock and Virginia Tech's Hank Thorns was caught in between two Hofstra Pride defenders. White jerseys to his left and right, and the clock taunting the 5-9 freshman from Las Vegas.

A hard dribble, maybe two, and Thorns was at the free-throw line with the ball was floating toward the basket. The ball bounced off the backboard and nestled through the net a split second before the first half ended.

Unlike last Sunday afternoon, there was not going to be a heartbreaking learning lesson for Seth Greenberg's remarkably young team.

Five days after absorbing its toughest loss of the early season, the Hokies (7-5) never were seriously threatened in their 84-59 first-round win over Hofstra on Friday night in the Holiday Festival at Madison Square Garden. The Hokies will play Saturday against St. John's, which beat Marist 62-59.

Hofstra (2-7) did not have senior guard Antoine Agudio, who missed the game with a high ankle sprain. Agudio is tied with Niagara guard/forward Charron Fisher as the nation's leading scorer, averaging 27.4 points per game. Without Agudio, it made for a relatively easy night for the Hokies. Consider that in the first game between the two programs:

* Thorns' buzzer-beater gave Virginia Tech a 22-point lead at the half, 45-32. In the second half, the Hokies pushed the advantage to 33 (84-51).

* The Hokies shot .563 from the floor, .375 from 3-point range and made almost 65 percent of their free throws. Compare that to Hofstra, which "connected" .343 from the field, made 1-of-10 from 3 and shot .522 from the free-throw line.

"When you are a kid, you get beat up--and I did--you how to give one, too," Hofstra coach Tom Pecora said. "I thought (Virginia Tech) did a wonderful job defending the 3-point line tonight."

Simply, it was an exhibition of how Greenberg wants his team to play: Pressure defense forcing turnovers and those turnovers being converted into easy baskets. The Hokies recorded 11 steals and blocked seven shots, leading to 19 points off of turnovers.

"Coach Greenberg wants us to push it up," said senior forward Deron Washington. Washington, freshman forward Jeff Allen and junior guard A.D. Vassallo tied for the game high in scoring with 17 points each.

"We score off of our defense; we know what we have to on the defensive end."

Greenberg stressed that his team -- which has seven freshmen -- has to learn how to play a complete game in order to avoid the kind of losses that keep teams from reaching post-season play.

"I am not sure we played all that well," said Greenberg, who noted that at one point, the Hokies had five freshmen on the court. "Twenty-one offensive rebounds (allowed) is a good place to start. That is probably the biggest flaw.

"We didn't guard the ball in the second half. We were reaching and slapping, (and) we have to get better. In our conference, you have to play better to win."

Tonight, the Hokies will have another opportunity to win. And learn.

Copyright © 2007, Newport News, Va., Daily Press

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12/17/07 Eli Manning sidebar for the Washington Times

Manning's game incomplete

December 17, 2007

By Denis Gorman

EAST RUTHERFORD, N.J. — On a night that invoked memories of games from another era, in a game that demanded competent stewardship in the tradition of Phil Simms, Eli Manning was awful.

The fourth-year quarterback finished 18-for-52 for 184 yards and a touchdown in the Washington Redskins' 22-10 win last night at Giants Stadium.

He was sacked twice and lost a fumble, finishing with a quarterback rating of 52.1.

Amid the wind that gusted between 21 and 35 mph, a receiving corps that dropped nine passes and an offensive line that was in his face for most of the evening, Manning threw high, low and wide for most of the evening.

"The wind was bad," Manning said. "It was tough to throw. Some throws, into the wind, you can't get everything into it. We have to throw it better than we did today, got to execute better than we did today."

At halftime, Manning was 6-for-21 passing for 51 yards.

He missed on his first four passes of the game before connecting with reserve running back Reuben Droughns on an 8-yard pass on third-and-9 from the Washington 47. On the next play, the Redskins stopped Droughns for no gain.

In the second half, Manning was marginally better, completing 12-for-31 passes for 133 yards and a 19-yard touchdown pass to rookie tight end Kevin Boss.

After last night's prime-time failing, Manning likely will face questions whether he is capable of playing quarterback at home. The Giants are 3-4 at Giants Stadium, and Manning's quarterback rating is 61.9.

More telling, Manning has had consecutive abysmal home starts. Three weeks ago, the Vikings intercepted him four times — returning three for touchdowns — in a 41-17 loss.

After the loss, the media and Giants general manager Jerry Reese criticized Manning for his poor analysis of his play.

"Obviously we'll go back to work," Giants coach Tom Coughlin said of Manning's recent play. "Go back to the drawing board. There is no simple answer."

The Giants (9-5) could have clinched a NFC playoff berth with a win. Instead, they are one of eight teams in the mix for a wild card berth, along with the Saints, Vikings, Redskins, Philadelphia, Detroit, Carolina and Arizona.

On Sunday, the Giants visit the Buffalo Bills, who likely will need a win to keep their slim AFC wild card hopes alive. New York wraps up its regular season Dec. 29, when they play host to the Patriots, who may try to match the 1972 Miami Dolphins as the only teams with perfect regular season.

If that's not tough enough, Manning will be without four-time Pro Bowl tight end Jeremy Shockey, who is out for the rest of the regular season with a broken leg he suffered in the fourth quarter.

"He is one of our leaders, and it's going to be tough to overcome that," Manning said. "Kevin Boss did a pretty good job tonight, but we got a tough challenge ahead of us."

Shockey has 57 catches for 619 yards and three touchdowns.

Without having to worry about Shockey's presence along the seams and in the middle, the Bills and Patriots will be able double cover wide receiver Plaxico Burress, Manning's primary target.

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Eli Manning story for the Washington Times

Manning still fights inflated expectations

December 16, 2007

By Denis Gorman

NEW YORK — Sinorice Moss finished the interviewer's question with a laugh.

"Is it fair?" the second-year wide receiver from Miami said with a giggle when asked about the criticism his quarterback faces.

When the NFC wild card leading Giants (9-4) play host to the Redskins (6-7) today, will there be another player on the field facing more scrutiny than Eli Manning?

In his fourth year, the 26-year-old has completed 250 of 429 passes for 2,790 yards with 18 touchdowns, 17 interceptions and a passer rating of 75.2.

But in Manning's case, his production isn't good enough because of his lineage and where he was drafted.

At the 2004 NFL Draft, former Giants general manager Ernie Accorsi traded the rights to fourth overall draft pick Philip Rivers, a third-round pick, and first- and fifth-round selections in the 2005 draft to the Chargers for Manning's draft rights.

Those picks became outside linebacker Shawne Merriman (the first-round pick), kicker Nick Kaeding (the third-round) and offensive lineman Roman Oben, whom the Chargers acquired by trading their 2005 fifth-round pick to Tampa Bay.

The foursome were integral to the Chargers' 14-2 record last season. Merriman led the NFL with 17 sacks despite missing four games after testing positive for a banned substance. Kaeding finished third in scoring with 136 points. Rivers completed almost 61.7 percent of his passes for 3,388 yards, 22 touchdowns and had a quarterback rating of 92.0, good for eighth in the league. Oben helped open the holes that led to LaDainian Tomlinson's NFL-leading 1,815 rushing yards and record 31 touchdowns.

Contrast the Chargers' success with the 2006 Giants, who sneaked into the playoffs with an 8-8 record. Manning completed 57.7 percent of his passes for 3,244 yards, 24 touchdowns and 18 interceptions.

Solid numbers, until considering that, like his teammates, Manning's first eight games of the season proved better than his last eight.

In the first half of the season, he threw 15 touchdowns and nine interceptions as the Giants went 6-2. In the season's last eight games, Manning threw nine touchdowns and nine interceptions during New York's 2-6 free fall.

The Chargers' success and Giants' collapse caused the New York fans and media to wonder how different the Giants would be if they had kept the picks. Defensively, Merriman may have combined with defensive ends Michael Strahan and Osi Umenyiora and outside linebacker Mathias Kiwanuka to form one of the most feared pass-rushing quartets in the league.

Since Brad Daluiso signed with the Raiders following the 2000 season, the Giants have had a revolving door at kicker. Kaeding could have given New York a dependable kicker, while Rivers, like Manning, would learn how to be a NFL quarterback on the job.

Certainly, a Giants team with Merriman, Kaeding and Rivers is an intriguing thought, until considering that in the almost 3½ years that Manning has been the Giants' starting quarterback, he has a 30-26 regular-season record. Against NFC East rivals, he is 11-8, including wins in three of the last four games against the Redskins. Should the Giants win tonight, he would join the short list of quarterbacks who have led their team to three straight playoff berths since 2004, along with brother Peyton, Tom Brady and Matt Hasselbeck.

"Everyone knows about his brother, Tom Brady and Hasselbeck, great quarterbacks," Moss said. "It's great company for him to be in. The quarterback position, it takes patience and he's been handling it well."

In the last four weeks, the Giants have won three games with playoff-style football.

In the three wins, Manning has completed 61 of 97 passes for 697 yards, three touchdowns and two interceptions. He was at his best in the fourth quarter against the Bears two weeks ago. Trailing 13-7 at the start of the fourth, Manning spearheaded two touchdown drives for a 21-16 win.

"My focus is on winning games. My focus is on Washington and playing our best [game] of the year," Manning said. "We've got to get better. There are plays we're leaving on the field; we've got to make sure we're playing our best. We have moved the ball, just not finished drives. We have to make improvements and finish; we want to get better every week, we have to get better at scoring points."

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Giants' second half slide story for the Washington Times.

Article published Dec 11, 2007

Another second-half slide?

December 11, 2007

By Denis Gorman - Following Sunday's 16-13 win over the Philadelphia Eagles, the New York Giants improved to 9-4 and seem to be headed to the playoffs for the third year in a row.

By any measure, it has been a successful season in East Rutherford, N.J. Yet why is there a feeling of trepidation in New York when it comes to the Giants?

Just look back to last season.

In 2006, the Giants started 6-2 and looked as if they were legitimate contenders in the NFC. However, the team collapsed in the second half, losing six of eight games to finish 8-8. During their breakdown, Giants players spent time bickering with each other, criticizing coach Tom Coughlin and lecturing the media about being accountable for what was written and said about the team.

The acrimony that swirled around the Meadowlands last season has been nonexistent in 2007. Part of the reason for the tranquility can be traced to former Giants running back Tiki Barber's retirement. Despite Barber's 1,662 rushing yards and five touchdowns, his rumored retirement and feud with Coughlin remained constant themes last year.

This year, the Giants lack a No. 1 running back. Still, the triumvirate of Derrick Ward, Brandon Jacobs and Reuben Droughns (a combined 1,582 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns) has compensated for Barber's on-field production without any of his off-field histrionics.

Still, there is an discomforting feeling about the Giants.

After an 0-2 start to the season, the Giants won six consecutive games, including the 24-17 come-from-behind triumph over the Redskins on Sept. 23. In that stretch, the Giants scored 152 points.

In their last five games, though, they have scored only 90 points while going 3-2.

The Giants' second-half struggle resembles their 2006 implosion. In the first eight games of last season, the offense averaged 24.25 points a game. The last eight games, New York's scoring fell three points.

Further examination shows additional parallels between the 2006 and 2007 editions of the New York Giants:

• The Giants selected University of Miami wide receiver Sinorice Moss in the second round of the 2006 draft. Expected to be a stretch-the-field wideout, Moss, the younger brother of Redskins receiver Santana, was limited to six games last season because of a strained quadriceps and only caught five passes for 25 yards. This year, he has recorded 16 catches for 172 yards.

In the second round of the 2007 draft, the Giants selected Southern California wide receiver Steve Smith. He played in the Giants' first two games, catching four passes for 26 yards. Since then, the rookie has been out with shoulder and hamstring injuries.

• Last season, the Giants recorded 32 sacks. Yet they were 25th in total defense. Why? It may have had something to do with only forcing 28 turnovers (18 interceptions and 10 fumbles).

The Giants lead the league with 47 sacks this season and rank seventh in defense. But for all of the praise of Steve Spagnuolo's unit, it has recorded only 21 turnovers while leading the league in defensive penalties with 103 for 752 yards (third highest, behind Carolina's 828 and Detroit's 801).

• In their first eight games this season, the Giants' offense committed 14 turnovers. It has committed 14 turnovers in its last five games, an average of 2.8 a game.

Last season, the Giants committed 12 turnovers in their first eight games. In the second half of the season, they gave the ball away 16 times.

"I would say that we do have to do something about the turnovers, and we talked about that," Coughlin said. "In the two previous games there were just too many of them, they were flagrant and they were taking away from our team. Now we did have a couple yesterday again, which took points away from us quite frankly, almost gave the other guy momentum and points."

So the question is which Giants team will show up Sunday night? The early season world beaters or the team that has scuffled in the second half?

"I just think that in all areas there are things that have to be improved upon, and our whole essence is about improvement and about recognizing where we are, the mistakes that were made and in our next preparation doing the best job that we possibly can to put ourselves in the best position," Coughlin said. "We have the Washington Redskins [on Sunday], a team that came off a big win last week, and we have got to get ourselves ready for that."

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