Tuesday Morning Bathroom Break (3-23-21)
This Day in Music (3-23-1968)
Lead singer of Blur and founding member of Gorillaz, Damon Albarn, is born in the U.K.
After the Giants secured their new gadget, Kenny Golladay, the team went on a full-court press in order to land their next offseason target, cornerback Adoree Jackson. Yesterday, it was announced that a deal had been struck between Jackson and the G-Men for three years, $39 million. The move completes a stunning swing of moves by general manager David Gettleman, who has done all that fans have asked in order to fortify the team heading into 2021. While I’ve often found myself as one of Gettleman’s harshest critics, one cannot say or do anything, but give credit for the focused aggression the Giants have displayed this offseason. The team still has needs, interior offensive line being perhaps the most glaring, but in a division where the margins of error could be more forgiving than in others, the Giants don’t need to aim for perfection. With the addition of Jackson, the team now boasts one of the more indomitable corner duos in the league. For a defense that was already growing formidable in the first season under head coach Joe Judge, the ability to lock down opposing offenses on the outside will force teams to run at the Giants up the middle, where the strength of their defense truly lies. A dominant pass coverage team such as this can also mask the Giants less-than-elite pass rush, a positional group that can certainly be upgraded during April’s draft. The Giants have made a fantastic effort not to pigeon-hole themselves into any one position or player heading into the 2021 NFL Draft, and if this offseason can be any indication, they plan on using those assets to their fullest potential.
With the NHL season reaching its stretch run, both the Rangers and Islanders are looking to capture the momentum that will secure a ticket to the chase for Lord Stanley’s Cup. The Rangers played host last night to the down-trodden Buffalo Sabres, who came into the game having lost a numbing 13-consecutive games. Though the Sabres were able to embrace hard times and earn the game’s first goal, the Rangers quickly put them in their place with three consecutive, second-period goals by Kaapo Kakko, Chris Kreider and Adam Fox. Buffalo refused to go quietly however, as the Sabres beat Keith Kinkaid twice within the first five minutes of the third period to even the game. Blowing two-goal leads on home ice against the divisional cellar-dweller does not a playoff team make, that much is certain. However, the Rangers and their captain clutch were not to be denied. After earning a power play, Chris Kreider was once again the hero netting his second goal of the game and giving the Blueshirts a lead they never relinquished. Kakko, who ended a 19-game scoring drought with his goal earlier in the night, provided the Rangers with an insurance goal with 58 seconds remaining to see the team through to victory. Performances such as these don’t exactly inspire confidence that this team is headed for bigger and better things in the immediate, but fans are starting to see a team willing to fight for every inch, and perhaps more importantly, flashes of a team that if you give them an inch, they may just take the whole mile….After what could be argued as the team’s first “rough week,” of the season, the Islanders have decided to hit back against both circumstance, and the thorn in their side that has been the Philadelphia Flyers. After dropping their first regular season home game to the Flyers on Thursday, the Islanders came out incensed Saturday at the Barn and blew Philly away, 6-1. These sandbagging losses have to be taking their toll on the psyche of the Flyers, and in last night’s threematch at the Wells Fargo Center, the game was a highly-contested, physical affair. Unfortunately for the Broad Street Bullies, this style of game suits Barry Trotz’s boys much better than the offensive hurricane displayed over the weekend. Though falling behind after two periods, the ultimate opportunist Islanders once again found young Oliver Wahlstrom who is building up quite the flare for the dramatic this season. At 3:41 of OT, Anthony Beauvillier beat Brian Elliott to send the Isles back atop their first-place perch in the Eastern Division. It is a two-night response such as this that has this writer so bullish on the Islanders chances to run the gauntlet this Spring. Not only are the Isles a team of talent and strong discipline, but it is clear that when faced with adversity, they are a group willing to push back with force.