NFL Update: NFC East Player Performance Partition (Part 2)
This is a continuation of the previous article, discussing rising and falling performances of players in the NFC East.
With falling players out of the way, it’s time to take a look at rising stars who are giving their respective fans something to cheer about.
First on the list is New York Giants tight end Kevin Boss. Although he did have a poor first half in their game against the Jacksonville Jaguars, he cleared his head, dusted his shoulders off, and came back in the second half with three receptions for 74
yards and also the game-winning TD. Boss has had some painful injuries in his past couple of seasons and takes tremendous hits, but finds ways to play through them.
When the game was at stake on Sunday, Boss took over. Hakeem Nicks and Steve Smith were both out for the game because of injuries, and when the Giants were desperate for someone to step up and get them the win, Boss and Mario Manningham were the answers.
Next up we have another New Yorker, this time a defensive end. Giants’ Justin Tuck is not the most talkative and chatty guy on the team, but he sure worked some magic on Sunday. With the Giants playing horribly during their first half, Tuck gave one of the
most inspiring halftime speeches in a long time when they were behind 17-6. In G-rated terms, he basically said “stop playing like garbage.” And that’s when everything went right. He helped the Giants to win over the Jags, 24-20, with half a sack, two pass
deflections, and five tackles. He inspired the team and grabbed his teammate’s attention with his position as team leader and profanity-laced speeches.
Last but not least on the list of rising NFC East stars is Brandon Banks of the Washington Redskins. Even with Donovan McNabb as QB, many fans would argue that Banks is the most exciting and fun to watch player on the entire Skins team. Fresh out of Kansas
State University, Banks is a danger to his opponents every time he touches the ball on punt or kickoff returns. If Perry Riley, who was discussed in the previous part of this article, did not get a block in the back penalty during Banks’ kickoff return, Banks
would have put the Skins ahead 20-17 to the Minnesota Vikings with less than seven minutes left to the game, putting them at a good position to win.
He is just full to the brim with talent. Washington’s offensive coordinator Kyle Shanahan decided to try out Banks for just a few plays, with tremendous results. Fans just hope that he will become a regular on the Skins team, especially with their game against
the Giants on Sunday at New Meadowlands Stadium.
So even though there are a couple of steadily falling players in the NFC East, players that are actually performing a lot better, whether from a chance to play or a talent in motivating, are actually the ones that the fans look to. Nobody wants to hear about
which players are becoming worse on their favorite team, they just want to know who will help them win and who
is helping them win. With five games left in the season, there is no telling what could happen.
The Skins versus Giants game will be on Sunday. The Philadelphia Eagles will play against the Houston Texans at home on Thursday night and the Dallas Cowboys will play the Indianapolis Colts on Sunday at Lucas Oil Stadium.
Stay tuned!
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